


eternity

by Melmoland



Series: light up the darkness [2]
Category: BTOB, VIXX
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Boys Kissing, F/M, Fluff, Gods, Japanese Mythology & Folklore, M/M, Mild Angst, boys touching other boys weenies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-30
Updated: 2016-11-30
Packaged: 2018-09-03 03:51:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 25,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8695309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melmoland/pseuds/Melmoland
Summary: He disappeared. She didn't know why, but she was determined to find him again. She had no idea how different her life was going to be





	1. the journey

**Author's Note:**

> it was supposed to be four stories, written by four people  
> ive done most of the writing, but im not bitter... just gives me more creative freedom

The ground was bitter cold through the thick cloth of her shoes as she willed her feet to move, one in front of the other, over and over again. And even though she draped herself in heavy, warm fabrics to keep the wind away, it still bit at her sharply. Regardless, nothing would stop her. In her mind she kept repeating the same four words… I must find him. She knew he was out there somewhere, roaming among the temples. He’d been gone for months and months, and in all that time, she’d searched every temple she could find, ruined or not, in hopes of seeing his face again. Touching his warm skin. Looking into those deep dark eyes.

Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry… She knew if she started all that thinking again that the tears would freeze to her cheeks in the harsh weather. Why did he leave…? There was no explanation that she could fathom. One day, they were smiling happily at one another, living out their simple life as they had been doing for months, just loving one another. Then she woke up freezing cold in the middle of the night and found his side of their futon empty. Frantically, she’d searched the cottage looking for any sign that he’d come back. A letter, some clue, anything. But nothing was there. His small pack was gone along with his heavy drape. She had stood there in the middle of their cottage, touching and twisting the simple chain link band around her wrist. It was all she had left of him. After weeks of lying wrapped up in their futon, just sleeping and crying, she finally decided that the only thing left for her to do was to search for him. Or die trying. Either way, she couldn’t stay a moment more in what they had called their home. Braving the wolves and thieves past the village sounded better in her head than continuing to live alone in misery without him.

As she struggled on, she heard howling in the distance. Knowing that she needed to find shelter, she pushed herself even harder to make it to the crumbling stone steps that were finally coming into view. There was no one at this temple. Forcing her way inside past the rotting doors, she sighed heavily with pain as she collapsed to the floor. At first, she’d been counting the temples as she went and tried to keep track of how many she’d passed through, but as the days melded into weeks and further still, it didn’t matter anymore. Her hope was fading. Pulling her drape around her chest, she shuddered with silent tears on the stone floor. I’m going to die too…

**\---**

The cawing of distant ravens stirred her from her a restless sleep. Sun shone in from the broken beams of the ceiling and warmed her skin. She forced herself up onto her knees and gazed around the broken temple. The faded wall paintings and crumbling carvings flowed like rivers and streams. A few days ago she had thought that she’d reached the outer edge of the Water God’s territory in the east. Now she was certain. This was where he was from. Her own village was further south along the sea, and she’d never had a reason to journey this far before. As she knelt, she mouthed a silent prayer to the Water God. She wasn’t sure how it would help or if she really even believed in all of that anymore, but childhood traditions are hard to break. Unsteadily, she rose to her feet, cursing the blisters she felt. Keep moving. Keep going. You haven’t searched far enough yet. But in reality, she knew this was far enough. She wished she could give up. Wished that she could just stop, and make all the pain go away. If only I could simply fall into nothingness, she thought. But her feet tread on and she trudged down the stairs, heading out towards yet another temple. The one a few days journey from here would be the last one. She’d promised herself. If there was still no sign of him, she told herself that she would give up and live out however long her hollow existence would be without him. Her heart was already broken, so all she had to do now was wait for her mind to follow shortly behind it. By the time she reached the edge of the village, her feet felt worse than she ever could have imagined. She could see the villagers milling around doing their daily chores. She thought about how nice it was when they lived like that back in their village by the ocean. A simple life. A happy life. She fought the tears from running down her cheeks as she wished she could take back the feelings of having taken their life for granted. She’d never thought that one day it would all be gone. But who does, really? There wasn't time for this, though. The last temple was not far now, all she had to do was make it there. She cautiously approached a villager and managed to smile a bit through the pain in her legs and feet. "Can you please direct me toward the temple?" The woman she had spoken to eyed her carefully, but returned a smile and a nod. "Follow this path toward the forest. Tis not far, child." The woman bowed her head and returned to her chores. Picking up her pace, she continued forward, thanking the gods that her journey was at its end. Finally, she could see the shining gates of the temple. This was different from what she'd imagined. Once, many years ago when she was just a child, she'd heard of of a grand, new temple that had been built after a fire. The villagers had rebuilt it to try to appease the gods to rid their village of a curse. At least that’s what the village gossip had led her to believe. Looking around now at the extravagance of this structure, she wondered if it had worked. None of the people she'd seen as she passed through seemed sick or dying, so as she limped through the grand gates, she assumed that it had, in fact, been a successful gesture. Once she was in the courtyard, her exhaustion began to consume her. She was in awe of its beauty as she let her knees give way. The ground, while cold, was surprisingly soft and welcoming as her body spread out on it. The last thing she saw before her eyes fluttered shut were snowflakes sticking to the dry grass. Then finally, she sighed, deep and content, as the blackness wrapped her in its embrace.


	2. lending a hand

“Appa!” Sungjae shouted as he ran back into the temple toward Taekwoon. “We have a guest!” The small boy shouted while running over to him. Taekwoon followed him out to the courtyard.

“Where?” Taekwoon asked, not noticing the conspicuous snow covered lump.

“Here,” the child pointed at the ground.

“Get your Papa, tell him we need his help. She’s sick.” Taekwoon hurried the boy away as he scooped her up and carried her into the temple.  
A moment later, Hongbin came into the room with an armload of blankets and a spare futon.

“Well, who do have we here?” Hongbin said pleasantly.

“She walked in and fell down,” Sungjae said in a slightly quieter than normal voice.

“She’s crying,” Taekwoon said softly. He reached out to brush the hair from her face, but stopped short when her voice crept past her lips.

“Where are you?” she cried softly.

“Who is she looking for?” Sungjae asked, glancing up at Taekwoon and Hongbin.

“Jaehw- don’t leave m-” she murmured.

“Jaehwan? Is she looking for our Jaehwan?” Hongbin asked, whispering excitedly.

“Don’t get too worked up. Maybe she’s talking about someone else,” Taekwoon said, trying not to give false hope to his mate. These past years had been hard on Hongbin, even though they had Sungjae to take care of now. For the first month that their oldest son had been gone, the Water God had to force the monk to eat. Since then, he had slowly improved, but still looked for Jaehwan every time he left the temple.

“You’re right, but what if-”

“Shh, we’ll see if she knows him when she wakes up,” Taekwoon said, kissing his mate tenderly. 

“Eeww...” Sungjae drawled as he watched his parents kiss. Taekwoon and Hongbin smiled at their little son and then ushered him out of the room as they followed behind.

She groaned and tried to open her eyes, but her consciousness just refused to surface. She struggled until a comforting presence pressed against her forehead. It felt almost like Jaehwan and she stilled instantly, but then she heard a voice that most definitely was not her lover’s.

“Jaehwan, I’m sorry… please come back… I didn’t mean to- why did you leave?” She murmured, almost losing the battle with unconsciousness again.

A soft voice replied, “Just relax, child, don’t force it and you’ll come back.” She hummed quietly and leaned into the touch on her forehead. 

Hours later, her eyes fluttered open. Glancing around slowly, she saw warm brown hair on one side of her and shaggy, black hair on the other. She groaned, feeling the soreness radiate through her and a little head of black hair popped up from next to the brunet.

“You’re awake!” a little boy whispered excitedly.

“Wish I wasn’t...” She frowned and looked at the ceiling, trying to make sense of where she was and who these people were. He lunged and wrapped her in a hug, resting his head on her chest.

“Mm this is nice, but don’t say things like that. It’s good to be awake,” the boy said and hugged her tighter. She stared at a spot on the ceiling for a moment before pushing the boy harshly away from herself and trying to get up. Feeling this small boy cuddle into her brought a sob bubbling up in her throat, but she swallowed it down and pushed herself off the futon.

“No! You have to stay in bed,” he clung to the girl, trying to push her back to the mattress.

The older brown haired man propped himself up and chuckled sadly, “You remind me of J- your brother when you do things like that, Sungjae.”  
She tried to get up to leave again, determined to give herself some space, but the boy was still clinging to her. Defeated in her attempts, she finally gave up trying to stand and instead sat at the far end of the futon.

“You’re not going to stay?” the man asked.

“I’ve wasted enough of your time.” She turned away and looked at the ground, feeling uncomfortable.

“No good deed goes unpunished. How will you repay us for wasting our time?” He caught her attention and raised an eyebrow when she met his eyes. That was something Jaehwan used to say a lot, she remembered. Maybe it was a regional saying. Either way, it made her heart ache.

“I don’t have any money or anything,” she said shyly, focusing again on the floor again.

“Silly child. Once you’ve recovered, you have so much more to give than money,” he smirked. She gasped and hastily covered herself with the blanket that had bunched up at the edge of the mattress.

"What- no! I meant you could work it off… like chores or something. I have someone… I’m not interested in anyone as- as young as you are…” He scrubbed a hand over his face and she slowly let the blanket fall back to the bed. Confused, she stared at him and pondered.

“Young? You look barely older than me, oppa.”

“She called me oppa,” he grinned with glee.

“We have an adult son,” the other man said softly. He startled her and she jumped a little at his words. She'd almost forgotten he was there since he hadn't spoken up before.

“And me!” Sungjae piped up, drawing her attention to him. A stray tear escaped and rolled down her face as she glanced at each one of them, briefly flashing her mind back to her life with her Jaehwan.

“Yes. And Sungjae.” the dark haired man rolled his eyes. “Anyway, we were hoping you would wake up soon, that way I could check you over and you could tell me if anything hurts. Does anything hurt?” the first man asked.

“Everything,” she replied sadly.

“Well, we can’t have that. Let me see if I can help.” He rolled out of bed and excused himself for a moment to change. The other man and the boy, Sungjae, also stood and stretched. Once the other man returned in fresh clothing, he joined the others and smiled down at her.

“My name is Hongbin, I’m a monk at this temple,” he said happily. Gesturing to the others he said, “This is my mate, Taekwoon, and our son, whom you’ve met, Sungjae.” She shook her head and greeted each of them with a small bow even though she was still sitting. She really wasn’t trying to be rude, but her body hurt so badly, she wasn’t sure if she could have stood up to properly bow.  
Hongbin told Sungjae and Taekwoon to wait outside while he looked her over. He started at her head and gently ran his palms down her arms. She had no idea how he could sense anything since his eyes were closed. He placed his right hand on top of his left and gently pressed them on the center of her chest.

“I know… I felt like this when my son left,” he whispered suddenly. His hands parted as he examined her ribs and stomach then, they halted at her lower abdomen. He made a strange noise and asked her if it hurt.

She put her hand on her chest and said, “Only right here.” Hongbin nodded then continued to let his hands sense what else was wrong with her. He got to her feet and placed them in his lap.

“Taekwoon. I need my travel bag, please,” he shouted out the door. Taekwoon slid in the room with the requested bag and joined Hongbin on the floor. Hongbin exchanged a look with his mate as they examined her badly blistered feet. The monk drew a needle from a small satchel and looked up at her.

“I’m going to be gentle. But this may be uncomfortable. It will make you feel better though.” He showed her the needle trying to reassure her, and even though the scared look on her face didn’t fade, he could feel her trust. 

Before the monk could prick the blisters on her feet, he put the needle back, whispered something to his mate and traded places with him. She looked uneasy as Hongbin covered up her feet with a towel so she couldn’t see what Taekwoon was doing. With every blister he pushed on, the water disappeared from inside. It was still sensitive, so she couldn’t help wincing every time he pressed down even though she knew he was trying to be gentle.  
Once he was done, Hongbin wiped off her feet and picked her up.

“Where are we going?” she asked, a little shocked at being suddenly lifted.

“I recommend a nice, hot bath,” Hongbin said. She frowned softly and not so discreetly started to sniff at herself. “Your legs and… uh everything will feel much better once you’re done.” She nodded before letting him carry her into the bathing room.

Finally left to herself, she undressed and sank into the water, physically feeling better than she had in a very long time. Now that the screaming pain in her body wasn’t there to distract her mind, the floodgates opened. Everything was broken. Her spirit, her heart, she was even tempted to guess her soul was as well. Her hushed sobs echoed off the walls. This really was the end of the journey for her. She was thankful that the generous monk and his mate took her in, and as she gently scrubbed her face free of her tears, she contemplated how she could repay their kindness. She *was* pretty good at general housework. That would hopefully be helpful enough.  
Hongbin stuck his hand into the room and spoke loud enough through the door for her to hear.

“I’ve got some clean clothes for you. I’ll just leave em… uh, here,” he said awkwardly, placing the clothes on a shelf by the door.  
Drawing in a shaky breath, she rinsed herself off once more before getting out to get dressed. Standing on weak legs, she put the clothes on and slipped her feet into the slippers he’d left her. Miraculously, her sore and blistered feet felt close to healed. Her heart still hurt, but a strange relief settled on her, knowing that she wouldn't have to travel any further.

“What can I do to help?” she asked the monk when she finished changing and rejoined him in the next room.

“Hmm… you can sweep the courtyard walking path free of snow,” Hongbin said with a wry grin. He handed her a pair of gloves and a wide broom and told her that if she needed anything, he would be cleaning the floors. He pointed where he was going to be for the next few hours and disappeared back into the temple, hoping that she could focus on something other than her obvious grief.

Hongbin stepped in and looked at the room with a sigh. The last time he saw his son, they had an argument. He wished that Jaehwan could have stayed long enough to discuss why he didn’t want him to go anywhere.  
It almost killed him when Jaehwan left, and if she had been mumbling about the same Jaehwan, he knew exactly how she felt. His son had a way of worming into your heart. And he knew the grief of that loss was deep. He tried not to think of how the last two years chipped away at his heart bit by bit as he pushed the washcloth across the floor.


	3. chaos

     Jaehwan cautiously snuck in through the west gate. He didn’t want to make a big fuss with the villagers by showing up out of the blue and causing a ruckus. He walked quietly past someone volunteering to sweep up the snow in the courtyard and made his way into the main temple. He said a small prayer at the altar he’d left two years ago and was suddenly interrupted by a small gasp from the back of the temple.  
     Jaehwan turned to see who was in the room with him and was clotheslined by someone in monks robes. Jaehwan couldn’t understand a word of what was being sobbed at him. Hongbin had wrapped his arms around him tightly and wept into his shirt. Jaehwan sighed and leaned into the embrace, softly rubbing his Papa’s back.

     “I’m sorry… Papa, I needed to go. I’m never going to regret leaving-”

     “It almost killed me,” Hongbin cried forcefully, breaking away from the hug. He frowned for a moment and went into angry father mode after regaining a bit of composure. “I think you need to take some time and meditate on how many hearts you’ve broken over the past two years. Face the door and close your eyes.” He bent Jaehwan’s legs into a full lotus and adjusted his hands just like he did when Jaehwan was a child. “I’m assuming you’ve forgotten all about me and Taekwoon, so I have to teach you all over again.” Jaehwan did as he was told and took a deep breath, having expected this upon his return.

     Hongbin could barely contain his tears as he looked at this son. The fern-like marks from when he was a child had come back as brightly as they’d been when he was ill. They weaved their way up his neck, disappearing under his hair and shadowed by the hood that was draped down almost covering his eyes. He knew they extended well past the confines of his clothing as well. He wondered if they’d gotten any worse now that they had come back. He had been away from home for far too long.  
While he was preoccupied with staring at his son, Hongbin heard a broken sob at the door. He knew in that instant that it was her, and she had been calling out to his Jaehwan in her sleep. He stepped out, pushed her in, and closed the door behind himself whispering to her a quick, "You two have things you need to talk about.”  
     As soon as the door was closed, Hongbin raced to the kitchen where he knew Taekwoon was and he wrapped his arms around his mate.

     “He’s back! Woonie, he’s back!” he cried in between Taekwoon’s shoulders. The Water God turned and pulled Hongbin into a kiss. He held the monk until he stopped crying.

     “Why aren’t you in there yelling at him?”

     “I sent the girl in after him. I told you she was looking for him," he smirked.

     “Oh no, should we expect to be grandparents by the end of next year?” Taekwoon asked with a chuckle. Hongbin looked up at his mate’s face and his heart fell a little. Taekwoon could sense the ache in the monk’s chest.

     "They really just need to talk. We'll see what happens later." Hongbin embraced Taekwoon and cuddled into his chest, trying to move past that last statement. "I'm just happy he's finally home..." The monk drew a deep breath, finally feeling like he could breathe now that his son was back.

     "I know, love. I know..." Taekwoon pressed a kiss to his head and caressed his back

**\---**

     Her knees hit hard on the floor. She heard a sharp intake of breath from just inches in front of her.   
It was difficult for her to breathe. Her heart was beating against her ribs so hard it hurt.

     This is not happening. This is not happening. How can he be here? What am I supposed to do?   
I can't breathe... Jaehwan was there, he was actually there and now emotions flooded her mind.

     All these things she wanted to say to him just stuck in her throat. She couldn't look at him. Even as her hands trembled when she slowly pushed herself up, her gaze was glued to the floor. To his feet. To his legs.   
To anything that wasn't his beautiful face or deep eyes.

     Tears crept up as she listened to him breathing hard. She felt the heat of his hands before they even touched her and she flung herself back to avoid it.

     "No, please, I..."

     Jaehwan inched closer but she still backed away and wouldn't look him in the face.

     "No. Don't. I can't... I mean, no. Don't talk. I have something to say to you." She adjusted herself to sit on the floor as calmly as possible.   
This was a temple. She couldn't, and shouldn't, scream at him in this sacred place.   
I can do this... she inhaled deeply and lifted her face to look at his downturned head.

     That was the moment her resolve shattered. Her mouth twisted and she had to bite her hand to keep the sounds from erupting out of her throat.   
There was no way she could stop the overflow from her eyes, but dammit, she wouldn't let him actually hear her anguish.

     "You- you left... me. You. Left. Me... How, no, not even how... Why did you walk away?" Her voice was low and barely audible and it shook as she spoke.   
She watched as his mouth move as he began to speak, but anger and sadness were winning the battle within her and she cut him off before he could utter more than even a single syllable. "WHY DID YOU JUST WALK AWAY FROM ME? FROM US?! I LOVED YOU AND YOU JUST- JUST DISAPPEARED!"

     She realized that she had, indeed, ended up screaming in the temple, but this was all too much to handle.   
Hands balled into tight fists She stood on her shaking legs, ready to run as far away as possible. It didn't make sense. She'd spent all this time journeying to find him, and in the end, she did.   
But now that they were finally face to face, her steel resolve faltered and all she wanted to do was run.

     "I swear, I never meant to hurt you..." Jaehwan's voice was so soft, she almost didn't hear it. "I know I did hurt you, and that was the one thing I never wanted to do." He stayed on the floor, but he slowly scooted closer to her feet.

     "Oh, so you didn't mean to break my heart into a million pieces. You didn't mean to send my world crashing down around me. You didn't MEAN to make me pray that someone or something could just kill me and put me out of my misery..." She shook her head and wiped at her face. "That still doesn't explain to me why you left. So to save you the trouble, I think I'll just leave. I hope it doesn't hurt you as much as it did me." The condescension dripped from her tone, but she didn't care. If she didn't get out now, she may as well just let herself collapse and die right here like she wished she had done when she got to this temple.

     She turned on the ball of her foot and took a step.   
That's when she felt him grasp her hand.   
That's when she heard him crying.

      _I'm a man. I'm a monk. I should be stronger than this._

     His heart, however, couldn't disagree more. It sent pangs of pain through his body as soon as he touched the warm, smooth skin of her wrist.

Gods how he missed that skin. He missed how her eyes would flutter closed and her cheeks would blush when he kissed her there. But right now, all he could think about or feel was the blinding ache.

     "Please, don't go... I'm so... I mean, I'm can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am. Gods, Minna, I'm so sorry..."   
He choked on his words. He'd never wanted to hurt her. He wanted to save her. From him. He closed his hand around her wrist a little tighter.

     Under his grasp, he felt the small chain bracelet that he’d made for her. Knowing that she still wore it gave him hope, but still made his chest ache with grief.

     When she didn't try to pull away from him, another cry pushed past his lips and he pressed his forehead to her arm. Jaehwan wanted, no, needed, her closer. He brought his other hand up to her arm and gently tugged, trying to get her down to him so he could wrap her in his arms. But she stood firm despite all the shaking he could feel radiating from her.

     "I can't do this, Jaehwan. It hurts too much. Knowing you didn't love me enough to confide in me if something was going on. Knowing you just didn't love me as much as I loved you." She tried to pull away from his hands now, but he held her anyway.

     "NO! I left because I needed to protect you! I didn't want you in danger... I didn't want to see you... die..." Jaehwan let his cries free as he released her arm. He fell to the floor on his palms and knees and watched his own tears puddle beneath him. "You are everything to me... and I couldn't let myself be the reason you... I couldn't stay and be the cause of..." He sucked in air and choked on his sobs. Yeah, so much for being strong.

     "I don't understand, Jaehwan..." She pleaded. "Please... just look at me, tell me what happened... You say you didn't want me hurt... or whatever you thought was going to happen if you'd stayed with me. So please, just tell me so I can try to understand."           He felt her hand softly touch his hair and curl her fingers around his face to tilt his face to hers. He hesitated, knowing there was no turning back now. She had to know. Jaehwan slowly followed her movements and let her hand guide his face to look up at her. The moment her gaze settled on his for the first time since he'd left her at the village, she gasped. He watched her eyes widen and her mouth form that perfect little 'o' that he missed so much. She could see now what he'd become. He looked into her beautiful eyes with his now shimmering gold and blue ones and prayed that she wouldn't be the one to run away this time.


	4. cursed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i'm too lazy to type in all the html necessary to reformat this  
> i wish they had a wysiwyg kinda thing for their story editor

Jaehwan had feared the worst when the strange markings had appeared on his arms. He tried to cover them up, but they had spread. He was cursed. He was certain of it.

He had started to get visions. Things out of the corners of his eyes that followed him, begging for his attention. The vivid dreams scared him worse than anything else. People being dragged into the woods. A woman screaming 'run'. Being kidnapped and taken deep into the forest. His father told him about the time he was attacked by… something... when he was small.

This must be why I'm cursed, Jaehwan thought.

Bit by bit, the curse was taking over his body and soon he would probably attack the one that he loves. He’d been quite snippy lately. Surely it was only going to get worse. He had to leave. He couldn't risk her life... he couldn't watch her die, let alone be the one to kill her. His father was the best monk he knew of. He could figure out how to stop the curse. He had to.

It had been so long since Jaehwan had arrived at this tiny coastal town that he couldn’t remember how to even get back home. Early one morning, before anyone but the fishermen were awake, he picked a direction and walked in it.  
He probably should have thought this out a little better. Finding the nearest temple was easy enough. After staying a night, he asked the monk of this temple where the next one was. This is where it started to get tricky. Jaehwan managed to find the tiny temples, but couldn’t for the life of him figure out where the main pilgrimage temples were.

“They’re just along the main road,” people would say. But Jaehwan couldn’t figure out exactly which road *was* the main road. They all looked pretty big compared to the ones near the temple where he grew up and in the town he lived with Minna.

He did his best to follow the directions that were given to him, but none of them seemed right to him. Sometimes the things in the edges of his vision would distract him and he’d have to double back or find a different route entirely.

Eventually though, he figured out he was in the north near the temple of the tortoise.

“Where the hell is the temple?” he mumbled, angrily kicking at the ground with the toe of his worn shoe.

“Just head straight down the road and you’ll get there,” an old man answered his rhetorical question with a grin. Jaehwan looked up, a little surprised that he’d not noticed the man before. Getting his bearings back a bit, he looked in the direction that the old man indicated.

“Straight… down the road… ok, I've got this,” he said as he started walking down the path in front of him.

“Other way...” the old man said, jerking his head in the correct direction. Jaehwan did an about face and continued walking.

An hour later, the road curved.

“He said straight down the road.” Jaehwan frowned a bit and stopped walking. There was a path that went straight up the mountain but didn’t look anything like what the main road should look like according to the old man. Jaehwan shrugged. Can't get worse, he thought, and he started walking up the mountain on the tiny path.

It was beginning to get dark and suddenly, he heard a low growling noise close by. His breath caught in his throat when a wolf stepped out of the shadows and blocked his path. He heard two more growls come from behind him. Turning slowly, he saw the other wolves closing their ranks around him. The smallest one paused and crept closer to sniff him.

Jaehwan froze. Maybe the wolves weren’t hungry. He hoped.

“Nice doggies-” he said softly.

The smallest wolf then turned into a man and cocked his head to the side, “Jaehwannie, is that you?” he asked. Jaehwan promptly screamed like a little girl and fainted.

Jaehwan woke up in a cave, covered in a thick quilt, quite warm and comfortable. The only time he ever got cold was when he slept, but this time he was so tightly bundled that he didn’t get a chance to throw the blankets off of himself. Also, it didn't help that there were three wolves sleeping on top of him.

“Are you awake?” a gentle voice asked from next to Jaehwan. It wasn’t one of the wolves.

“Oh thank goodness, I was afraid the wolves were talking to me again.” Jaehwan scrubbed a hand down his face with relief.

“What’s wrong with talking wolves?” one of the wolves said sleepily.

“W-wh- what- what... what’s what?” Jaehwan fainted again.

“Jaehwan, wake up, this isn’t funny,” Hakyeon said sternly. He reached out and patted him on the cheek. Jaehwan stirred and glanced around, frightened and clutching the blanket.

“You have talking wolves and know my name and you see no humour in any of this?” Jaehwan cackled like a man losing his mind before sobbing.

“Ok, you let’s get some tea into you and maybe your head will clear,” Hakyeon said as he lifted Jaehwan off of the floor with absolutely no effort. He shook his head dejectedly as he carried the clearly out of his mind Jaehwan to the kitchen area and deposited him in a chair. It was going to take a while to explain all of this.

A few hours later, Hakyeon looked at Jaehwan in confusion with a tiny bit of hurt seeping from within his expression.

“You don’t remember your uncles?” Hakyeon whined.

“I… remember my parents going off for a while and being left in the care of other monks…”

“But...?”

“I don’t remember anything from my early childhood except a bunch of training and having a bunch of imaginary friends… I guess because it was just me and my parents all the time.”

“Strange, whenever I came to visit, Taekwoon said that you were with Hongbin, learning by example.”

“I don’t think I even learned anything from him. He must have been so disappointed.”

“What do you mean never learned anything? Look at what you’re doing with your hands.”

Jaehwan was in the middle of folding his fingers into the seal for ‘pyo’ and froze. “Well… aside from this, I mean.” He stared at his hands and unfolded them, then gently placed them in his lap.

“By the time you were ten you could banish spirits better than any monk that wasn’t Hongbin,” Hakyeon insisted, "Maybe you hit your head or something."

“It’s probably just my curse.”

Hakyeon thought he was talking figuratively and shrugged. “Oh… your tea is getting cold, let me freshen it up for you.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Jaehwan insisted, grabbing the cup before Hakyeon could reach it and suddenly the water was steaming again.

“That’s an amazing parlour trick. You don’t do that in front of normal people do you?”

“Do what?” Jaehwan eyed him curiously.

“That heating water thing. Which father did you learn it from?”

“What are you talking about? Everyone can do it if they learn to center their energy… right?”

“Er… no. The best I’ve seen even the most gifted monks do is redirect heat to the tops of their heads or dry off towels.”

“I... I should go home… I just don’t remember the way.”

“I suppose I could walk you most of the way,” Hakyeon replied. "We’ll head out tomorrow.”

“How long do you suppose it will take to get back?” Jaehwan fidgeted with his hands again, feeling the need to get home even more. He needed more answers.

“Mm... perhaps a few weeks?”

They were only one temple away when Hakyeon’s ears perked up. Jaehwan vaguely heard a wolf howling somewhere off in the distance.

“I need to get going, just follow this road until you reach the sign that points you toward the temple of the Water God.” Then Hakyeon hurried off toward the howls and left Jaehwan standing on the road, clearly confused.

For once, Jaehwan managed to get these directions right and ended up in familiar territory. While crossing a field on the way to the temple, he stayed as far away from the forest as he could and ignored all of the cute fuzzy things trying to greet him. He just hushed them and walked into his home from a side gate where he was promptly scolded by his father.


	5. getting some answers

Jaehwan crumpled to the floor as he watched Minna walk out of the main room of the temple. She'd said she needed to think. She'd looked into his changed eyes and he watched the tears form in hers. He didn't even get to explain what it meant. Hell, he didn't really know what it meant, that's why he'd come home in the first place. To find answers. Answers that he wanted desperately to share with her now, once he talked to his father. But right now, Minna acted like she couldn't even look at him. He couldn't blame her, really. He was a monster. He was cursed. She may not be leaving this place just yet, but watching her walk away from him was almost as painful as when he had left their home. As he lay there, he pounded his fist on the floor and cried. When his fist finally became tired, part of the tile was spiderwebbed, so he uncurled his fist and closed his eyes. His sobs quieted. His breathing calmed. And he slipped into a fitful slumber right there on the temple floor, dreaming of her. 

Hongbin hadn't tried to pry into their conversation. He kept busy elsewhere, minding his own business until he saw the girl leave the main room he'd pushed her into. She was visibly shaking and crying. For a moment, he considered going to her, but he saw Taekwoon from across the courtyard. Taekwoon held up a hand and Hongbin understood. So instead, he turned toward the door she'd just exited and carefully opened it. The moment he saw Jaehwan crumpled on the floor, he went to him and wrapped him in his arms. And although this wasn't the situation he wanted it to be, he couldn't help the sad smile that formed on his mouth. After so long, his son was finally back home and in his embrace.

“Papa, it hurts,” Jaehwan sobbed as he woke from his agonizing sleep. Hongbin rocked his eldest son side to side, “She hates me now- I thought- I had to keep her safe... I had to go...” His words hitched with every breath and Hongbin tried not to smile, thinking of the times when he was little and would cry so hard he couldn’t speak like this.

“Why did you have to leave, Jaehwannie?”

“Can’t you see them?” He cried and gestured at his skin.

“That doesn’t explain why you had to leave- either of us… the eyes are striking and strange, but they’re beautiful at the same time. And the marks, well...” He brushed hair out of his son’s face and pressed his forehead against Jaehwan’s temple.

“I’m cursed,” Jaehwan said quietly.

“Of course you're not, I’d be able to tell right away. Maybe your father would be able to sense it.”

“But the visions… I’ve had these dreams about seeing people- well, maybe spirits… I don’t know… It seems so familiar, like it wasn’t my imagination, but then things started happening to me...” He looked at his hands. He was doing the hand symbols without thinking again and untangled his fingers, “And these scars… my eyes. There’s lapses in my memory and... well... this...” He pulled away from his father to stand up.

Hongbin watched as Jaehwan pulled off his shirt and closed his eyes, then a pair of thin, black wings slowly sprouted from his back. They unfurled and once they were fully extended, the dark tips were brushing the floor. Hongbin stared for a moment. His breath caught in his throat and the words never came. The monk stood up and walked around Jaehwan.

“Do they hurt?” He asked, resisting the urge to touch them, but still examining them carefully. Jaehwan shook his head. “Can you fly?”

“I... I haven’t tried.”

“Your uncle Sanghyuk would be proud,” he said with a wry smirk.

“Father, I came home to ask if you knew how to get rid of my curse… or whatever this is so I could figure out how to cure it myself... I need to be with her, but I can't be with her like this. Not when I put her life in danger.” He only called Hongbin 'father' when it was really important.

“You’re not cursed, Jaehwan,” Hongbin insisted.

“What is all this if I’m not cursed?” Jaehwan insisted, sweeping his hands over himself in frustration. "I’ve been normal my entire life, then all of a sudden this!” He pointed at his face as his anger started to surface.

“The wings and the eyes are new, I’ll give you that, but the scars were from when you were young. So just calm down a bit.”

“What happened to me?” Jaehwan let his hands drop and he slumped into a sitting position, making his wings retract into his back.

“There was a plague affecting the village. You were so ill you almost died. We took you in because there was a spirit in the woods that took your family. We never knew if it would try to take you again and we wanted to keep you safe. Taekwoon saved you,” he explained. “The scars and the ability to see beyond what normal people see were the last symptoms of the plague, signaling that you were on the brink of death...”

His voice was soft and he remembered when he actually thought they were really going to lose Jaehwan. He’d never admit out loud that the near-dead boy was the bait he used to lure all of the spirits into the temple. That was his own secret to keep. “Your dreams are memories from your childhood. They’ve probably resurfaced due to… well, let me put it this way: Your Appa was able to save you, and it took the ability to see spirits from you after you reached a certain point. I assume that after not having seen them for so many years, it would seem as if they were just childhood fantasies. I’d really feel better with all of this if you’d talk to Appa… he knows how to explain things better than I do. But Jannie, you’re not cursed. Please believe me.” Hongbin lovingly touched Jaehwan’s cheek and smiled tenderly. He felt his son nuzzle into his touch a little and his heart warmed. It really was wonderful that his boy was finally home.


	6. how to say thank you

Her head was a mess. All she could think about were his eyes. They used to be so deep and warm. Now, while they were still beautiful and still warm, in truth, they did frighten her a little. This was too much. She let her feet carry her across the courtyard. Minna ran into the kitchen and collapsed into a chair, sobbing with her head on the table. She barely registered that other people were in the room. Sungjae paused from the drawing he was making to look at his father. Taekwoon plunked a teacup on the table in front of her.  
“Why did he have to go?”  
Sungjae shrugged and made a noise, "Iono..."  
"He gets so turned around and lost so easily. What if he got eaten by one of the northern wolves?"  
"His uncles would never do that," Taekwoon said nonchalantly from somewhere else in the room.  
"But what if something happened to him?"  
"He's too stubborn to be eaten by anything," Taekwoon assured her as he continued to mill around the kitchen.  
"Why didn't he trust me enough to help him with this?"  
"When Jaehwan was seven, he lost his first tooth. He thought he was falling apart. Dying even. He tried to hide this from us. The fact that he tried so hard not to smile was a dead giveaway. I had to tickle the truth out of him and he cried while telling us that he was sorry he wasted our time. That he was going to die and we shouldn't have saved him when he was five." Taekwoon chuckled a little at the memory.  
"He was ticklish?"  
"I bet he still is. Great way to punish him," Taekwoon grinned.  
"But- I would have taken care of him."  
"He hates relying on others too much. No matter how many times we tell him to lean on us. "  
"But... what am I going to do now?" she asked, her head in her hands.  
"You're going to help us with the festival," Sungjae said, glaring at his father in case he were to object.  
"We never have enough hands, it’s true," Taekwoon added.  
"Festival?" she asked, "I wasn't aware of any festivals going on in the dead of winter."  
"Starlight Festival. It's to celebrate the end of long nights and to invite fresh beginnings. I myself will make sure that there are no clouds to block… out- what?” Taekwoon looked at Sungjae.  
The little boy raised an eyebrow at his father then looked pointedly at the girl.  
“You’re going to pray really really hard for a clear night, right, Appa?”  
“...Right.”  
“So we can see the stars,” The boy clarified, grinning. “He’s never failed yet.”  
“What do you do in this festival?” Minna lifted her head up more and seemed genuinely curious.  
“We invite family and neighbours together, lighting bonfires to chase away the dark-” Taekwoon started but was abruptly interrupted.  
“And eat sweets ‘til our bellies explode!” the boy beamed. Taekwoon sighed, reminded that it was also the one night a year that Sungjae became a literal demon. Fortunately the boy never remembers anything beyond eating sweets until he’s passed out.  
“And there are masks,” Taekwoon said.  
“And this year’s the Winter Wedding!!!” the boy grinned. Taekwoon was confused about how the boy remembered such an old tradition.  
“What’s that?” she asked, looking at the boy expectedly. Taekwoon was happy that she was starting to join in on the conversation.  
“Once every twenty years, two people are chosen by the dragon to celebrate their union in the dragon cave. It ensures that the harvest will succeed until the next winter wedding… y’know in case those stupid sacrifices don’t work.” the boy said as if he had seen it before. “It’s also said that the couple joined in the dragon cave will forever be fated to each other.”  
“Where did you learn that?” Taekwoon asked. Not only because it was true, but it was such an old tradition that only one couple has actually ‘joined’ in the dragon cave. He couldn’t let dozens of reckless teenagers be forever fated to each other…  
“You know… I know things.” The boy looked up at Taekwoon and smiled. Taekwoon just nodded in response. The child sometimes seemed to know things that were beyond the knowledge of even the most educated monks. “You have to stay. We need your help,” the boy insisted, still grinning wildly. She finally agreed, completely unsure why. Slowly lifting herself from her seat, she nodded gratefully at Taekwoon.   
“I would be happy to lend you a hand, and… thank you for all of your hospitality. And saving my life... And for listening to me…” She bowed and started to walk away.   
Taekwoon gently touched her elbow to get her attention, then ushered her toward a side door. “Here, you can go out this way to your room. Maybe you can lay down and rest for a while. It’s been a long day. I can tell.” With that, she left, and Taekwoon leaned against the table and sighed.

A moment later, Jaehwan slowly walked into the kitchen, Hongbin desperately clinging to his waist.  
“My baby boy is back!” he chanted happily.  
“Papa, I’m getting jealous. I thought I was your baby boy,” Sungjae pouted and crossed his arms.  
Hongbin let go of his eldest and swooped Sungjae from his seat, spinning him in circles, lifting him into the air then kissing him on the cheek. “You’re my baby boy, too!” He proceeded to ravish the boy with cheek kisses.  
“Who’s the kid?” Jaehwan asked Taekwoon. The Water God dropped his hand heavily onto Jaehwan’s shoulder and squeezed painfully hard, the only outward sign of his displeasure with his son. Jaehwan cringed and winced, almost dropping to his knees in pain.  
“‘The kid’, as you so put it, is your little brother, he’s probably the only thing that kept your father sane… well, mostly sane, these past two years that you were gone.” He looked sadly at the monk who continued to swing his youngest around. “Have a seat, Jaehwan,” he said to his son.


	7. we need to talk about sungjae

**TWO YEARS AGO**

Hongbin slept fitfully in Taekwoon’s arms after crying himself to exhaustion yet another night in a row. Taekwoon was going to wring that boy’s neck the next time he saw him. There was a rattling at the door that woke Hongbin up and Taekwoon sighed in annoyance. He had just managed to get his mate to sleep, if only for a little bit, and now someone was knocking so hard the door seemed like it would splinter. Hongbin rubbed his weary eyes, then put his robes on and went to the main gate, opening the door slightly. There was an unearthly screeching as soon as the turned the handle. When he looked down he saw a parcel, squirming and bundled up, tied in ropes. He hoped he was mistaken, but in the dark it looked as if it was stained with blood. Tacked on top was a note, hastily scrawled out. 'Save us from the changeling. They took our baby and replaced him with this... thing. We’ve tried everything to get rid of it but it just won’t leave us. We know you can banish it. PLEASE HELP US BEFORE IT KILLS US ALL' Hongbin dropped the letter and picked up the screeching package, shouting for Taekwoon over the wailing as he ran toward the bath house. “What’s wrong?” Taekwoon yawned as he watched Hongbin unwrap the bundle. “There’s an injured child in here,” he said over the continued shouting. The bundle was so small and light, but when the monk untied the ropes, the screaming got louder now that the child had space to unfold its legs and breathe. “Oh- little one, I’m so sorry,” he cooed when he saw how malnourished the child was and the extent of the boy’s injuries. He was covered in burns, old and new. Scars that looked like cuts covered parts of him and his lips were bluish, showing exactly how long he had been outside before they decided to take the boy to the temple. “What do you need me to do?” Taekwoon asked as Hongbin carried a now panicking toddler into the healing hotspring water. “Can you make something light for him to eat? It feels like they’ve starved him,” he said over more panicked shrieking. Taekwoon nodded and went off to the kitchen. Hongbin held the boy tight enough so he couldn’t wriggle away and loose enough so he wouldn’t aggravate his injuries. The boy was certain this scary new man was going to push him under the surface at any moment, but instead, he just sang to the boy as he bathed him in the water and cleaned out his admittedly less painful injuries. But he still didn’t trust this man and would not go without causing his eardrums to bleed. The strange new man sat the boy in his lap and told him to close his eyes so the water wouldn’t sting them. The boy was confused when the monk poured the bowl of warm water over his head. Wasn’t he supposed to push him under and hold him there until the bubbles had stopped? There was a halt in the screaming. “Did that help any?” Hongbin asked the boy. The toddler just looked up at the monk in confusion. “Does it still hurt?” He asked before getting out of the tub with the boy in his hands. The boy continued to stare at him in confusion. “Let’s get you dried off and some food in you. I’m afraid I don’t have any clothes small enough to fit you yet, but don’t worry, I’ll find some.” Hongbin wrapped him up in a fluffy towel and carried him to the kitchen. “Someone’s sounding better.” Taekwoon tried to look as pleasant as possible. “Let’s get you fed, ok?” Hongbin smiled pleasantly as the boy shrieked again when he held the bowl of soup. “Woonie, would you like to hold him?” he asked over the shrieking. Taekwoon held the toddler and he instantly quieted. “Hello,” Taekwoon grinned and he kissed the boy’s temple, then stilled suddenly. “He’s- not... Hongbinnie...” he drawled happily, “Can we keep him? He’s not human- well he was but-” he grabbed Hongbin’s hand and put it on the boy’s chest. The monk felt no heartbeat. Hongbin frowned then looked at the boy who started to scream yet again. “Of course we’re going to keep him. Someone needs to teach him some manners,” He spooned some of the pink tinted broth into the boy’s mouth. “Now be a good boy and eat what you can, so you can grow up tall and healthy and help out with the temple.” Once the boy was finished eating what he could, Hongbin took him into his arms and cradled him as they walked to their futon. “Do you have a name?” Taekwoon asked the boy before tucking him between the two of them to go back to sleep. “Sungjae…” he said timidly. “Good night, Sungjae,” Hongbin yawned. A few hours later, they were rudely awakened by Sungjae screeching again. Taekwoon looked worried but before he could cradle the boy back to sleep, Hongbin picked him up and put him in his lap. He looked the screaming boy in the face. The boy looked back up at him, still screeching, expecting the adult to hit him, but he didn’t care, he just continued to screech and wriggle. Taekwoon wasn’t sure what to expect from Hongbin, but screeching back at the boy was not it. Taekwoon joined in. The child was stunned to silence. “Good,” Hongbin said when all the noise died down. “Hopefully it’s all out of your system now.” Hongbin bent down so he was nose to nose with the little boy. “If there is something wrong, tell us, and we will address the issue. Screaming will not fix your problems, understand?” The little boy nodded slowly. “Ok, now what’s wrong?” Hongbin said gently but sternly as he looked the boy straight in the eyes. Nobody ever looked him in the eyes. “I have to potty.” 

**\--------------------------**

Taekwoon looked at Jaehwan and simply said, “There was a lot of screaming...” with a thousand-foot stare. Hongbin set Sungjae back down on the floor. Jaehwan watched his father smile joyfully at the young boy. He felt a little twinge of pain in his chest. It was good to be home, but it never quite occurred to him exactly what he'd left behind. I think I need a good long nap after all that's gone on today...


	8. trying to be better

Jaehwan was exhausted. His mind and his heart were all out of sorts, not to mention the long walk home. Now he was headed to his room, to his futon, and all he could think of was having her in his arms. Sleeping alone on the road had been been lonely. But the thought of her mere rooms away, sleeping without her in his futon was downright torturous. Minna had become his life. But he'd had to leave so he wouldn't be the cause of her death. Now that he'd started to get a better understanding of this whole 'curse' thing, he regretted leaving her even more. But he still had unanswered questions, and until he got them, he couldn't help her understand, let alone himself.  
He pushed his door open and as soon as his eyes took in his surroundings, he stumbled on his feet. Bracing himself on the doorframe, he put his hand to his mouth to stifle a sob. This wasn't how he'd left it. Everything in his room was clean.  
When he regained his bearings, he slowly walked around, letting his fingers trail over the freshly dusted surfaces. Jaehwan stopped at his desk. A neatly placed stack of papers sat in the middle. He lifted the top one gently and ran his fingertips over the beautifully inked words. Setting it aside, he glanced at the next one and the ones after that. These were letters from his Papa. Each one dated, one letter a week for two years. His Papa had been tidying his room and writing to him. Jaehwan clutched the letter in the his hand to his chest, letting his tears fall freely. He'd hurt everyone he loved.  
Hours later, once he'd read all the letters, he finally laid down under his covers. Jaehwan hoped that after getting some rest he'd be able to come to his senses and make things right. He closed his eyes and tried desperately to fall asleep. When Jaehwan finally slipped into his dreams, all he saw was Minna. She was crying, and his heart broke even more.

When he woke, he could smell something delicious wafting through the temple. He finally felt rested, even though he'd had such heartbreaking dreams. A soft knock brought him out of his thoughts. The door cracked open and Hongbin popped his head in.

"Hey, sleepy head," he said quietly. "Finally awake?"

Jaehwan combed a hand through his hair and stretched his arms. "Yes, I think so, Papa. Is that breakfast? It smells wonderful." 

Hongbin chuckled lightly and shook his head. "Actually, that's dinner. You've been asleep since last night. I've been checking on you... I was just about to wake you. But I wanted you to get your rest."

Jaehwan swung his legs around to stand and as soon as he was upright, he bolted to the door and tugged his Papa in close. "I love you, Papa..."

Hongbin was startled, but his emotions took over and he leaned into his son’s embrace. Tears trickled down his cheek. "I know, Jaehwannie. I love you, too."

Minna tossed and turned in her futon until she finally gave up. She’d gotten a few hours of fitful sleep and she supposed that would be good enough. She stood up and folded her blankets on her futon and tidied up her room a bit. Taking a seat at the desk, she crossed her arms and laid her head on them. I don’t know what to do… Her mind buzzed with confusion. Since coming to this beautiful temple, she’d felt better than she had since Jaehwan disappeared from their home. But at the same time, being this close to him and not knowing what was happening with him made her chest ache just the same. There were so many things she was longing to say, needed to say… but the words just weren’t there yet. Every time Minna caught a glimpse of Jaehwan, the tears would fall. Her heart reached for him even though she couldn’t just yet. He’d done as she asked and given her space and time to think. But she knew that at some point very soon, she’d have to finally talk to him.   
She hadn’t even realized that her door had opened and someone had come in until the little boy, Sungjae, tackled her, wrapping his tiny arms around her and smiling brightly.

“It’s dinner time, noona!” he practically shouted. “Have you been in here all day sleeping?” The little boy looked up at her quizzically, his bright eyes expecting an answer.

“Well, I wouldn’t say that I was sleeping… I was resting, though,” she said, trying to return his enthusiastic smile. This little boy was just like his big brother. He’d already weaseled his way into her heart, just like Jaehwan did so long ago. Minna blinked a few times, willing away the tear that was about to drop. “Do you know what’s for dinner, Sungjae?” She leaned out of his embrace and grasped his hands, tucking them into her lap with hers. 

“Hmmm… no, Papa didn’t say. He just asked me to come get you. But Appa is a good cook, his food always tastes good, I like it a lot,” the boy said, tugging at her hands to get her to stand. “Let’s go!” Minna let him pull her through the door and toward the kitchen. 

Jaehwan and Hongbin walked into the kitchen and Taekwoon gestured to the table and told them to sit down.

“Where is everyone else?” Jaehwan asked just as Sungjae ran in, dragging Minna behind him. The little boy immediately took a seat next to him and eagerly pointed to the empty chair on his other side for Minna to sit in. She made it a point to keep her eyes on the table, avoiding Jaehwan and being a little thankful that he wasn’t sitting right next to her. Hongbin noticed Jaehwan looking at her, and Minna staring away from him. He glanced uneasily at Taekwoon who shook his head, silently telling him not to interfere.  
Taekwoon and Hongbin brought food to the table and Jaehwan immediately started to serve everyone. Hongbin grinned a little, watching his son fall into the routine that had been so normal before he left. Jaehwan started with his parents, silently dishing out their portions, and then without asking, he gave Minna more tofu and kimchi and less pork, just the way she liked. She sniffled quietly as she looked at the food, staunchly refusing to look up at Jaehwan. She still wasn’t ready to talk to him, but she couldn’t help but be touched by his gesture. 

“Wh-what do you like better in Appa’s kimchi jjigae?” he asked Sungjae.

“I like the onions!!!” he shouted.

“Oh… ok,” Jaehwan said, and made sure to put more onions on the boy’s plate.

Once he’d made his way around the whole table, he plated his own food and took his seat. Jaehwan couldn’t help continuing to stare at Minna.

“What?” She snapped, not really meaning to sound as harsh as it came out. Jaehwan reached over and gently pulled a leaf out of her hair, then smoothed the long strands to rest nicely behind her ear again.

“Y-you had a- thing,” he said, showing her the leaf and twirling it in his fingers south a look of disappointment as she looked back down at her plate.

“Oh...thanks,” she said quietly, blushing before she could stop herself. Jaehwan picked up a plate with bean sprouts on it and pushed it closer to her. She swallowed loudly, desperate not to cry. He hadn’t even been thinking, it was just something he would always do back home.

Tired of the heavy silence, Taekwoon opened his mouth, “Did you eat well while you were away?”

“Yeah… Minna is a wonderful cook,” he looked at her proudly. She never took her eyes off of her plate. Jaewan tried to keep smiling, but his expression was obviously forced.

“Did you make friends while you were out?” Hongbin used to ask him this when he was growing up and running errands. Jaehwan couldn’t help but snicker, hearing the same question he used to hear as a child. He instantly pointed at Minna.

“No, that’s family. Did you make friends?” Minna looked up at Hongbin in shock, nearly dropping her spoon. She recovered quickly, but she was still mildly shaken.

“Where’d you go?” Sungjae asked after swallowing a particularly large bite.

“I went to that temple by the sea that Papa told me about. The food wasn’t as good as he said it was, so I left, and that’s when I met Minna.”

“Jaehwan, what did I tell you about lying?” Hongbin said with a frown.

“I’m not lying, the people were mean and the food was no good.” He took a large bite and looked up at Hongbin.

“I sent word to all of the pilgrimage temples to keep an eye out for you. I was worried half to death because nobody had seen you. Where did you go?” Hongbin’s voice cracked. When messages from the other monks came back saying Jaehwan had never come, it took everything in him not to think the worst.

“Wando Temple was full of mean old monks,” Jaehwan insisted. Hongbin stopped with his food halfway to his mouth.

“You didn’t make it to Mokpo Temple?” Hongbin asked, shocked. “Mokpo was where the delicious food was,” Realizing his mistake, Jaehwan looked sheepish.

“Wando?” Minna asked in confusion, “That’s on an island to the south west of our village. How did you get there?”

“Er…” Jaehwan had no idea either, “Must have been low tide?” Embarrassed, he looked down at his plate and pushed his food around.

“Where is your village?” Hongbin asked, switching his attention to Minna.

“Yeodo,” she replied.

“That’s south of Wonsik,” Taekwoon added.

“How did you not get lost running errands for me as a child?” Hongbin asked under his breath, shaking his head. Jaehwan shrugged.

“Did he ever get lost running errands for you?” Sungjae asked, looking over at Minna. She nodded ‘yes’, once again finding her plate captivating. Suddenly, her plate disappeared from in front of her. She was about to protest that she wasn’t done, but it was swiftly replaced with Jaehwan’s plate of tofu and kimchi. She let out a tiny sob, but quickly covered it up by shoving food into her mouth.

“So,” Hongbin said, trying to recover from the awkward mood that had been growing. “I think tomorrow we should start putting up decorations for the festival. Since my boys are both so big and strong, I think they should start taking the decorations out of our storage shed tonight.”

“Yes, Papa,” they both said.

“I have the best sons,” Hongbin beamed.

Dinner ended and Minna stayed to help Hongbin clear the table. Something that the monk had said during the meal had been weighing on her mind.   
“Why did you say I was family?” she asked.

“You refuse to see it, because you are upset at him right now, but you are an irreversible part of Jaehwannie’s life and he is so in love with you...” he scraped a plate into a bucket that he was going to leave for the goats later. “He’ll wither and fade without you and honestly, you must love him just as much in return if you managed to put up with him for as long as you have,” He smiled softly.

“He’s not so bad,” She said shyly. Hongbin grinned, showing off his dimples. He could see on her face that she was finally starting to think about the happy things with his son instead of the sad circumstances that led her here. Hope welled up in his heart for the two lovers.

“He was pretty bad growing up. Not as bad as Sungjae when we first had him, but he did get into a lot of trouble.” She smirked a little bit. “He needs someone like you to keep from getting lost.” He said, scrubbing a plate in a tub of water that Minna was pretty sure had been cold a little while ago, but was now steaming.

She looked up at his smiling face and nodded slightly. “I know I’d be lost without him too…” she said quietly. 

They both turned their attention to the rest of the dishes. The kitchen stayed silent until they were finished. Hongbin turned to face her and let his hand come to rest on her shoulder.   
“Thank you for the help. If you don’t mind, I’ll come by your room later and see if you’ll help with a few of the preparations. Go rest a bit and let your dinner settle.” Minna nodded once more and excused herself from the kitchen. Hongbin sighed a little, relieved that things were finally coming together. He smiled to himself. Our family is growing… It was one of the happiest feelings he’d had in the past two years. 

“Did you see anything scary when you were gone?” Sungjae asked as he sat on a high shelf and pushed a box toward the edge for Jaehwan. They had been carefully moving boxes and getting them ready for the festival. 

“When I got lost in the woods, there were wolves and I was sure they were going to eat me.” Jaehwan hefted another box to the floor. Sungjae giggled and kicked his dangling legs happily.

“Did they turn out to be Minhyuk, Ryeowook, and Minseok?” Sungjae asked, completely unimpressed.

“You met them, huh?” Jaehwan asked the boy, cocking an eyebrow.

“They’re our uncles, of course I have,” he rolled his eyes.

“Hmmm,” Jaehwan grabbed another box from his little brother, falling into a rhythm that made moving boxes easier.

“This works out rather well,” Sungjae said. “I was telling Papa I wanted a brother.” The boy took Jaehwan by surprise when instead of getting another box shoved into his hands, he ended up getting an armful of Sungjae. Grinning wildly, Sungjae pulled back from the impromptu hug and looked Jaehwan right in the eyes. “I like you. You’re a good brother,” he said happily. Jaehwan couldn’t stop the small smile spreading on his lips. He tickled Sungjae lightly and the boy giggled. Jaehwan paused for a moment. Something was a bit strange about his little brother. Namely the lack of a heartbeat. That would be added to the list of questions to ask his father.

“Well, I’ll try to be a good brother, at least,” the oldest son said, covering up his strange reaction easily. 

“You will be. I know it.” Sungjae laughed more as Jaehwan sat him back on the high shelf. “I know things.”

“Ok, let’s get these boxes moved and start decorating, huh?” His little brother nodded and pushed another box toward Jaehwan’s waiting hands. It was nice having a little brother. Jaehwan could get used to this. He smiled and continued stacking. 

Hongbin stuck his head into the storage house and smiled softly at his two sons bonding. “Hey guys, your father wants to speak to me in the Dragon Cave and I’m not entirely sure how long I’m going to be out.” Jaehwan raised an eyebrow as he put another box on the growing stack of boxes.

“Ok,” Jaehwan replied.

“Jaehwannie, can you keep an eye on everyone for me until I get back?”

“Yeah, we were going to start decorating once we got everything down.”

“Ok, just remember to stay warm if you two are going to stay out too late.” Hongbin giggled. They all knew that getting cold barely ever happened to any of them. “Love you, see you in a bit.”


	9. as one

The monk walked into the cave and looked around. The cave closed up behind him and Hongbin found himself pressed against where the entrance had been. Taekwoon had sealed their lips together and was kissing him like a man starved. In the past two years, Hongbin had been so preoccupied and all of the desire he’d kept inside out of grief for his missing son had been building up until today. Hongbin’s stomach felt like it was about to burst with how rapidly the butterflies were flying around. Taekwoon didn’t break the kiss to catch his breath or even to let Hongbin breathe a bit, he just moved to leave sucking kisses along alabaster expanses of skin. He nibbled lightly, desperate to hear his lover whimpering and moaning his name like this. It had been too long.

“I love you, Binnie. And you’re not leaving this cave until I’ve shown you how much.” Hongbin grinned that crinkle eyed, full dimple smile that made the Water God want to soar through the air and hummed in approval. The top half of Hongbin’s robes had been pulled off to hang loosely around his waist. The cold, damp stone of the wall made Hongbin hiss. He clung desperately to Taekwoon when the dragon began to taste every inch of his chest and stomach. He cried out when the Water God dipped his fingertips below the belt on his robes.

“Do you want more?” Taekwoon took Hongbin’s earlobe between his teeth, scratching gently down the monk’s chest, a nail catching lightly on his nipple.

“Y-yes-ah, please,” he begged. Taekwoon deftly undid Hongbin’s belt and let the robes fall away. Outside of sleeping and bathing, this was the first time in nearly two years he had actually seen his mate completely undressed. Hongbin blushed as if it were the first time the Dragon God had looked at him this way. He took in the monk’s wavy hair, the flushed pink skin, his uneven breathing. Even untouched, he was half hard and Taekwoon had to kiss him again. He pulled the monk to himself by the waist and pressed flush against the smooth chest. He couldn’t get enough of the taste of Hongbin’s lips. Taekwoon’s hands drifted lower to cup his lover’s ass and lift him up. Hongbin wrapped his legs around the Dragon God’s waist and was walked toward the side room full of cushions. On the way, Taekwoon stopped to press Hongbin against the stairs and grind against him. The feeling of the stone steps digging into his back made Hongbin groan that much louder.  
They finally made it to their destination and Taekwoon fell forward onto the cushions, trapping his mate below himself. They kissed, slowly twisting their tongues and nipping at each other’s lips. Taekwoon rolled them so Hongbin was on top.

“Spread your legs more.” Taekwoon ordered. As soon as Hongbin complied, the monk gasped at the feeling of a cool, slick finger tracing his entrance. He spread his legs wider and braced himself on his elbows. Hongbin whimpered when his fingertip pressed barely past the muscles, in and out until he could tease with two fingers. Hongbin rolled his hips back, silently begging for more. Taekwoon continued to tease. The monk began to peel layers of clothing off of the Dragon God. Hongbin whined when his mate pulled his fingers from him, but it was necessary to undress completely.  
As soon as Taekwoon was completely nude, he pushed Hongbin back up to his knees.

“Stay up like this, don’t lean forward,” he told his lover. Hongbin struggled to stay upright and he desperately wanted to rock his hips against the fingers that were moving at a torturously slow pace, stretching him, but the way he was kneeling, he couldn’t. Taekwoon crooked his fingers and Hongbin cried out. He wanted to hurry. He wanted to make up for the last two years. Taekwoon had his own ideas on how to do this.

“Please, love-I need-”

Taekwoon pulled Hongbin down so they were chest to chest and kissed him softly.  
“Tell me what you want,” he sighed against Hongbin’s lips.

“I need you. Please, Taekwoon.”

“Back onto your knees, love.” Hongbin pouted, thinking that Taekwoon was going to tease again, but he did as he was told. He gasped with wide eyes when he felt the tip of Taekwoon’s cock at his entrance. He tried to push down to get more, but Taekwoon held him still, controlling the pace.

“Kiss me,” the Water God whispered. Hongbin bent down and as soon as their lips met, Taekwoon rolled his hips up and held them together. Taekwoon sucked Hongbin’s lower lip between his teeth. It felt too good. He was so full. He loved every bit of the stretch. Hongbin was breathing deeply, his hands braced on either side of Taekwoon’s head. His eyes were clamped shut and he finally pressed their foreheads together. Taekwoon rolled his hips experimentally.

“Woonie… can you be on top?” Hongbin whispered finally. Taekwoon rolled back on top of his mate and slowly pulled back.

“Was I hurting you?” he asked.

“N-no- it was too much at once,” he whispered.

Taekwoon was confused, but pulled Hongbin’s legs up so they were hooked under his elbows. “Ready?” he snapped his hips up and Hongbin replied affirmatively. Over and over, gripping Taekwoon’s biceps so hard he left moon-shaped welts in the pale skin. Though Taekwoon missed this feeling so much, he stopped and dropped one of Hongbin’s legs.

“What’s wrong?” Hongbin asked.

“Nothing.” He looked into Hongbin’s eyes. “Everything is right again.” He slowly pushed into Hongbin and slowly pulled back out, watching his mate’s face with a heavy lidded smile. He would occasionally press harder or roll his hips differently, but he maintained the same slow pace.

He gripped one of Hongbin’s hands and kissed him before deciding he would try to taste everything in his reach. He left open-mouthed kisses along Hongbin’s jaw and neck, tasted the sweat on Hongbin’s collarbone and returned to the monk’s lips.

“Touch me-” Hongbin sighed. Taekwoon pulled tiny little noises out of the monk with every stroke and gently bit down on his mate’s shoulder.

Taekwoon sped up, no longer able to keep this slow and gentle. “You feel so amazing. I never want to stop,” Taekwoon purred.

“I’m getting close,” Hongbin’s voice hitched, “I can’t hold- ah! AH” Taekwoon changed angles and all Hongbin could do was cry out random syllables and expletives. Taekwoon heard a noise in Hongbin’s moans and whimpers that turned him on to no end.

“Woonie- ahn I’m ah oh uh so-” Hongbin gasped air desperately. Taekwoon snapped his hips forward twice as fast.

“Come with me, Hongbinnie,” he groaned. The monk arched and cried out Taekwoon’s name. Taekwoon snapped his hips forward and rolled lazily into his lover as soon as he felt Hongbin’s muscles begin to tense.

It took a moment for Taekwoon to be able to do anything more than kiss Hongbin’s collarbone. The monk pulled his lover up to kiss him properly.

“Let’s take a bath in a minute,” Hongbin suggested. Taekwoon nodded while flopping helplessly to his back. Yes, everything was right again.


	10. truths

The day of the festival came near. Everyone in the temple was hastily finishing the preparations and hanging the last of the decorations. They’d all been working hard. Hongbin and Taekwoon seemed to be more excited about it than even Sungjae. Jaehwan assumed that their fathers were just happy about everyone being all together for the first time since he’d left.   
Finally able to take a break, Jaehwan pulled Taekwoon aside.  
“Appa,” Jaehwan said quietly, “I’d like a word,” he said looking as serious as he could.  
Taekwoon followed Jaehwan outside and they walked down a path they had taken many times when he was younger. Every time Jaehwan was troubled and needed his father to talk him through something, they would walk along it as they spoke. It was a scenic path, and for some reason, it always managed to help him work out his issues.  
“What seems to be the problem… aside from Minna?” he asked.  
“Papa said you… saved me when I was younger-” He wished he’d thought his words through more thoroughly. He knew what he needed to say, but actually saying them out loud was proving difficult.  
“From the plague?” Taekwoon asked. Jaehwan nodded. “Your scars are fading again,” he smiled, tracing one of the fading scars running down Jaehwan’s hairline and curving behind his ear.  
“How? Er… how did… Why do my scars go away when I’m back here?”  
“My blood,” Taekwoon started. He thought that maybe he should explain a little better. Hongbin seemed to be the only one who could read his mind anymore. Jaehwan had been away for too long.  
“But… we’re not actually related…” Jaehwan looked confused.  
“We might as well be,” Taekwoon started, “You have enough of my blood running through you.”  
“I’m still terribly confused.” Jaehwan started folding his fingers with nervousness, and when he noticed, he clasped his hands in front of himself and continued slowly walking along with Taekwoon.  
“You were dying, Jaehwan. If I had let you die, knowing I could have saved you, I don’t think I could have lived with myself.” Taekwoon looked upset as he spoke. “I had to give you my blood until I knew you could go for longer stretches without needing it. But we weren’t expecting you to leave us.”  
“What’s so special about your blood?” Jaehwan asked as he stopped to lean over the railing overlooking a small pond. Taekwoon sighed and paced for a moment. He ran his hands over his face before stopping and looking at his son.  
“Promise me that you’ll at least try to believe me,” He said, placing his hands on Jaehwan’s shoulders. The younger man looked so tired. Jaehwan glanced back at his father, thinking that he’d never seen his Appa seem so worried.  
“At this point, all I want are answers... whether they’re believable almost doesn’t matter anymore,” Jaehwan sighed. He just wanted to know.  
“Ok… well,” Taekwoon looked at his son as he spoke, “My blood has healing properties…”  
“Why?”  
“Because I’m the dragon god of the East,” He said simply.  
“Can’t you at least try a little harder to make it sound believable?” Jaehwan said with a pout.  
“No, really,” Taekwoon said seriously. His robes suddenly turned into iridescent scale maile and his hair grew to his shoulders.

Jaehwan rubbed his eyes. He looked at his father, then rubbed them a little more. Things were becoming a bit clearer. He wondered if maybe his Appa could shed some light on his next question.  
"Can you do this, too?" Jaehwan asked as his wings unfurled. Taekwoon had to rub his eyes this time.  
"You- you're... you're really a- but you can't-but- you were just a normal b- Sanghyuk will be so pleased." He babbled as he sat heavily on a nearby boulder.  
“One thought at a time, Appa." Jaehwan smiled, sure he finally had some answers. "I'm a what now?" The winged man raised an eyebrow quizzically.  
"T-t-tengu... I haven’t seen one in a very long time. All of them migrated over the East Sea." He frowned at himself, thinking that he must have been a horrible father if he had never noticed this before about the boy. "Of course! This was why your desire to find your mate was so high." Taekwoon sighed with relief. Jaehwan noticed and he knew exactly how his father felt. It was nice to finally get the puzzle pieces to fall into place.   
“Ok, so now, who’s Sanghyuk? Why does everyone say he’d be proud of me?”  
“All of your uncles are proud of you... and Sungjae. But Sanghyuk is the air god of the west… by Mokpo Temple.”  
“Sungjae… about Sungjae… I noticed something really strange about him. What… is he?”  
“He is a type of symbiotic demon. It’s a little difficult to really explain. But basically, they find sickly children and they... join with them. In a way, it saves their lives.” Jaehwan listened intently, finding all of this fascinating. “Usually the parents don’t realize anything is wrong. They notice their children have recovered and are healthy and strong.  
“In Sungjae’s case, his parents must have been keeping him sick. When their child had recovered, they started to take more drastic means to ‘drive the evil out’... You should have seen the state he was in when we found him screeching on our doorstep. Even the blood I gave him cannot heal some of his scars.” Jaehwan could see the hurt on his father’s face as he thought about Sungjae. It must have been horrific.  
“You feed him blood too?”  
“Everyone in the house who has eaten my cooking has received my blood,” Taekwoon said, “It must have been suppressing what you really are.”  
“Why isn’t it suppressing what I am now?”  
“Because the traits have fully manifested.”  
“Oh…” was his only reply. Then, something that Taekwoon said hit him. “Wait… so does that mean that Minna has had your blood too? Is she ok? Is it going to hurt her?” Jaehwan started rambling a bit, clearly concerned with her safety.   
“Ok, ok… hold on, calm down. Let me explain. Minna has had some of my blood, just as everyone else has. She’s just fine, trust me.” He touched Jaehwan’s shoulder gently, drawing his son’s full attention. “Everyone has something that needs to be healed. Whether it’s physically or mentally, it’s a trait we all share. Don’t worry about her, everything is just fine.” He smiled tenderly at Jaehwan and his son seemed to accept this answer. Thanks to Hongbin, Taekwoon knew of the hardships Minna had faced since Jaehwan left their home, and it was something he desperately hoped that the two of them would speak about soon.  
“Speaking of Sungjae,” Taekwoon started to speak again, attempting to steer the conversation back to something more pleasant, “I’m going to need you to help keep an eye on him on the night of the festival. It happens to fall on his demon night.”  
“... Demon night?” Jaehwan asked, raising an eyebrow.  
“One night a year, the longest night, he transforms into his full size,” Taekwoon frowned. “Thankfully, our little Sungjae doesn’t seem to remember any of it,” he shuddered.  
“Why?” Jaehwan drawled, not entirely sure if he’ll like what his father might say.  
“The transformation is painful and the things that boy gets up to…” Taekwoon shook his head heavily.  
“I think I understand, Appa. I’ll watch out for him.” Jaehwan moved aside as his father stood, and they both began back down the path toward the temple. He smiled, noticing that his father seemed a bit more relieved. Finally having answers had lifted some of the weight on his heart as well. Now, maybe be could finally speak with Minna.

They walked back from their chat, looking at the villagers and people from neighbouring towns building booths leading up to the temple.  
“I can’t wait to try all of these things,” Jaehwan said, and Taekwoon agreed as he looked at the drawings of unusual foods. Watching his son next to him, Taekwoon started to rub at his his chest over his heart. Jaehwan glanced over and brought them both to a stop.  
"What's wrong, father?"  
"I think I know now why you were so much closer with Binne than you were with me. .."  
"I don't understand what you’re saying... I love you both so much!" Jaehwan insisted, turning to face Taekwoon.  
"When you were very small, your father would kiss you on the nose when you were good or got something right. I would pinch your nose when you were acting up..."  
"I want to say that only has effect on children raised around tengu, you know, favoring one parent," Jaehwan smirked. "I don't love Papa more than you. You’re both very important to me, and I could never raise one of you up above the other in my heart," he insisted.  
"Really?" Taekwoon asked in a tiny voice. Jaehwan nodded, smiling. He rubbed a hand on his father’s shoulder, reassuring him. Silently, they both continued into the temple.


	11. starlight

The day of the festival had finally arrived and Jaehwan tried everything in his power to get Minna’s attention when she wasn’t helping out in the kitchen. He won a round of a ssireum match. Minna walked away, shaking her head with a tiny smirk. Fortunately, she wasn’t looking when a disheartened Jaehwan promptly lost two rounds in a row. He finally had his answers, but now, she still wasn't speaking to him. Hell, she was barely acknowledging him.  
A little while later, Jaehwan ran up to Minna with a bag full of goldfish. He refused to give up.  
"I may have caught all of these, but I still cannot catch your heart,” he teased, pursing his lips, looking as if he was hoping for a kiss. A sad look crossed her face as she glanced between him and the bag of fish. Without a word, she lowered her head. He tried to sound happy and boisterous to keep the mood of the festival upbeat for the villagers, but for a brief moment he looked at her and said, “This would be more fun with you.” He watched as she walked away quietly before turning to a young girl and placing the bag in her hands.

Jaehwan had a feeling his father needed him so he went back to the temple and found him. It would be a welcome break from his sad thoughts about Minna for a bit.   
“Excellent, I was about to send for you,” Hongbin said quietly. “You know about Sungjae’s… condition, right?” his father asked. Jaehwan nodded. “It’s started. After he transforms, can you keep an eye on him?”  
“Certainly,” Jaehwan said, thankful for something to keep him busy. They went into Sungjae’s room and the boy was clutching his stomach and crying.  
Hongbin pulled him into his lap and cradled him. “Papa-” he cried. The child’s cry erupted into a scream like the one he made when they found him on his doorstep. It stopped abruptly and a sickening cracking noise echoed through the room. His skin pulled and stretched as his bones popped and elongated, making Jaehwan wince as the boy shook. He was in so much pain that he couldn’t make a single noise. Jaehwan had never witnessed anything so brutal. He felt sorry for his younger brother, but thankful that he would never remember that it happened.  
Finally, there was a full grown man laying with his head in Hongbin’s lap. His hair had gone from black to bright white with a black streak.  
His eyes snapped open and he took a loud breath before looking around the room with an almost feral look in his eyes as he reared up on his hand and knees.  
“Hello, Sungjae. Will you behave? There is a festival today,” Hongbin smiled.  
His head snapped toward his father, snarling momentarily before remembering exactly how powerful yet kind this monk was. He could feel his father’s power radiating out toward him.  
“F- festival?” Sungjae asked.  
“The Starlight festival.” Jaehwan said. Sungjae’s head snapped to look at Jaehwan. He crawled over to his older brother and sniffed his shoulder. Jaehwan looked at Hongbin in confusion.  
“Who’s the tengu?” Sungjae asked Hongbin.  
“That’s your older brother- Jaehwan,” Hongbin said. “You will stay by him tonight. Do not give him any trouble,” Hongbin glared, “He’s just as powerful as I am.”  
“More so,” Sungjae grinned. Jaehwan caught a glimpse of a fang sticking out over the boy's bottom lip. This was going to be an interesting festival.  
“Anyway, I have clothes for both of you.” Hongbin gently unfolded the blanket next to him, pulling out clothing and matching masks. Jaehwan and Sungjae looked at each other before picking up the outfits. “Get dressed. I’ll see you two out there.” Hongbin put his own mask, then got up and left the room, leaving them alone to change.  
“I did what I could to keep Papa occupied while you were gone.” Sungjae said as he pulled his clothes on. They looked like dragon scales in varying shades of green. The younger brother chuckled as he looked down at what he was wearing. In one of the sleeves was a letter. It said ‘Don’t read this in front of Jaehwan.’  
Jaehwan, on the other hand, was wearing a simple white shirt, lavender vest and orchid pants. They put on their masks and grinned at each other.  
“Here I come, ladies,” Sungjae sang as he walked to the door.  
“Behave,” Jaehwan warned while grabbing the collar of his brother’s hanbok. “How upsetting would it be for some girl to wake up pregnant one day and not only is the father of your baby missing, but he’s not what you thought he was and you’re stuck with a monster in your belly?” The seriousness was written all over Jaehwan’s face.  
“I’ll have to be careful when I bed the lucky ladies tonight,” Sungjae said smugly.  
“You are bedding no one tonight. No one.”  
“Is this because you haven’t been laid in a while?” Sungjae elbowed his brother playfully.  
“Just get out there,” Jaehwan growled.  
“Papa and Appa were snippy when they weren’t getting any, too,” Sungjae teased. Jaehwan’s face twisted with a look of disgust.  
“Do me a favor. I’d like for you to never mention our parents and sex in the same sentence ever again.” Sungjae just chuckled.

Jaehwan realized that he had his work cut out for him. He chased his brother through the festival, grabbing the back of his neck hard whenever he would stop to flirt with girls.  
“Please ignore my idiot brother,” he would say. This was going to be a long night.

“Good evening, ladies,” Sungjae drawled, dragging Jaehwan behind him. “Have you ever had a pair of brothers before?” The girls giggled playfully.  
“Please pay him no mind. I’m spoken for and he’s a monk in training.” Jaehwan’s hand latched onto the back of Sungjae’s neck roughly, ready to pull him away.

“So… you and your friend are flirting with girls while I slave away, helping with the festival?” Minna said angrily behind Jaehwan, taking him by surprise.  
“I’m doing my part by keeping an eye on Sungjae, like Papa told me to.” Jaehwan turned to yell back at Minna while the two girls slunk away. He really didn’t mean to snap at her, but Sunjae had been wearing his patience thin the whole evening.  
While Minna and Jaehwan had their attention on one another, Sungjae stepped aside to read the little note his father left him. ‘Get him to Appa.’ Sungjae’s lips tilted into a small grin.

“Well I can tell you're doing such a *spectacular* job of watching your younger brother.” she snapped back sarcastically.  
“I am,” he said, pointing at his brother.  
“Have you gone insane? Your brother is four. Just who exactly is this guy?”  
“Noona~ don’t you recognise me?” Sungjae purred with a tiny pout, rejoining the conversation. He hugged her the same way he always did, but with his added size, it just seemed rude.  
“Hey you little shit, this one’s mine. Wait until you’re old enough, then find your own.” Jaehwan batted at the demon and he finally let go. Minna stomped her foot and turned to leave in a huff. “Minna! Wait! Please, I’m not crazy!” Jaehwan started after her, but Sungjae held onto his arm.  
“Appa needs to speak with us,” the younger brother said. I don’t know how many more times I can watch her walk away from me… Jaehwan turned and halfheartedly followed his brother.

“I’ll watch over Sungjae, so I need you to go to the dragon cave and make sure everything is in place for the winter wedding,” Taekwoon said, leaving no room for argument and handing his son a relatively heavy but small box. “Put this in the bathing room”  
“Yes, father.” Jaehwan turned to go to the dragon cave. He could feel his chances of getting to speak to Minna and tell her the truth slipping away from him.

Jaehwan knew where the cave was, but he had never actually been inside before. The air smelled slightly like his father. He was sure it was because he had lived there for so long before settling down with Hongbin.  
He walked into the dragon cave and felt the tingle of a barrier as he passed the threshold. It was weak, but still strong enough for Jaehwan to notice that it was there. He figured it was put in place to keep the villagers and unwanted people out during the festival.  
He sighed sadly before going from room to room, making sure everything was neat and tidy for the lucky couple, eventually finding the bathing room and placing the box between pools. In the back of his mind, he honestly hoped he and Minna would be picked, but at the moment he was the dragon god’s errand boy, so realistically, they probably wouldn’t be chosen. He desperately needed to talk to Minna, though, and if being chosen would provide him the opportunity to speak to her, he would take it. His heart hurt so much whenever he saw her looking so conflicted. Jaehwan wished that he could ease her mind. He wearily sat on the cushions in the sleeping chamber and put his face in his hands.  
A rattling from the main area startled him and had him shifting quickly to his feet. I swear, that had better not be Sungjae trying to bring some poor village girl in here to bed her… Appa was supposed to be watching him. He turned the corner to enter the large room and paused.

Minna was struggling with a mountain of food. Taekwoon had politely asked her to make her favourite foods because he wanted the couple from the winter wedding to experience the ‘exotic’ food from her village.  
Suddenly, the food was hoisted out of her hands and she panicked, thinking that the food was going to fall to the floor. Instead, she heard Jaehwan’s voice asking her where she wanted it.  
“I can get it,” she replied.  
“I’m already holding it, so please just- tell me where to put it.” She gestured to her left and made him put the food on a low table. “Do you need help?” he asked as she started to rearrange the plates for the lucky couple.  
“No. You may leave,” she snapped. Jaehwan watched as she laid out all of his favourite foods. The dishes smelled heavenly and he envied the lovers that would be enjoying it. He sniffled softly as he watched her, unable to contain his feelings.  
Minna finished and turned to leave the cave. He followed slowly, knowing that he had lost his chance of speaking to her tonight. As soon as she hit the barrier at the entrance, Jaehwan reacted before even thinking and he caught her as she was thrown back into the cave. She looked shaken, so he kept an arm wrapped lightly around her waist. Minna still felt angry toward Jaehwan after seeing him with his friend earlier, but she missed his touch so much that she couldn’t push him away. With his free hand, he reached out to touch the barrier and received a nasty shock before the entrance to the cave sealed up completely with a terrifying noise. The words ‘Congratulations to the Winter Couple’ appeared to be carved into the wall where the entrance used to be.


	12. winter confession

Minna felt torn. Part of her just wanted to nuzzle herself against his side as he kept his arm around her. The other part of her was sad and almost furious with him for his behavior earlier. He'd obviously been lying to her. He'd probably lost poor Sungjae somewhere in the crowd and instead of looking for him, he decided to go off with his friend to find girls. Minna thought about the dinner they had all shared, and how he'd been doing all of the things he'd been so used to doing in their home by the sea. It had brought tears to her eyes. Slowly, because of his tenderness toward her, she had prepared herself to talk with him. And then all day as they did their parts to prepare for the festival and even when they had their free time, she had felt his kindness. Jaehwan was his normal free-spirited self, sometimes almost childish, but it was moments like those that warmed her heart. She’d been walking over to see if she could pull him away for a bit so they could speak alone, but once she saw what they were doing, her anger boiled up inside. Her snappy words escaped her before she could stop herself. Now, they were stuck together in this cave and she couldn’t decide exactly what she wanted to do, but still, she didn’t pull away from his side.   
“It looks like we’re trapped in here,” Jaehwan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. “What in the hell was going through their minds when they did this…” he mumbled under his breath. Jaehwan kept thinking to himself, occasionally out loud, and he walked Minna over to the chairs. What he wouldn’t give to keep her by his side like this. It was the closest they’d been in such a long time, and he could feel her body’s warmth through his shirt, making him crave her more. He hated losing that tingling warmth as he slid his arm away and let her sit down. He took a few steps away from her, making sure that she had a comfortable amount of space between them. Maybe it would help her calm down and listen to him explain.   
After a few tense moments of total silence, Jaehwan couldn’t take it anymore and spoke quietly to her. “Minna… can we please talk? I just want to explain some things- well, a lot of things. I’ll answer any question you have. Just please, don’t push me away.” He knelt to the ground. Not too far away, but not close enough to touch her.   
She sighed, needing to give in to her urge to hear his voice. She’d missed it so much. The way he sang to her as she drifted off to sleep. The way he could be speaking from the other room, but she could still tell that he was smiling. “Yes, I suppose we do need to figure some things out. I’m not sure how much I’m ready to talk about, but I will try to listen to what you have to say…” Minna turned her full attention to him.  
“Ask me. I’ll tell you anything you want to know,” Jaehwan said tenderly.   
“Alright… who were you with when you were um… chatting… with those girls?” Minna eyed him carefully.  
“That was Sungjae,” he said with a straight face.  
“No. I’m only going to ask you one more time, so don’t lie to me. That was NOT Sungjae.”   
Jaehwan sighed and shook his head. “I promise you, that was most definitely him. It’s a bit hard to explain, and honestly, you may not believe me. But Sungjae is a demon.”  
Minna’s hand flew to her mouth as she stifled a choked breath. “Excuse me? What do you mean, a demon?” Her eyes were wide, but she waited for him to answer.  
“Sungjae is a certain kind of demon... one that doesn’t have it’s own body to begin with. He needed a host. So he rooted himself in the body of a dying toddler, saving the boy’s life. The little boy, Sungjae, that you’ve met is just that; a boy.” Jaehwan looked into her eyes and continued. “The demon part of him is just waiting in the boy’s subconscious, sharing parts of his memories I think. I’m sure you’ve noticed that Sungjae is far from a normal four year old…” Minna nodded her head at this, a bit of clarity dawning in her eyes. “According to my father, one night a year, he has what they call a ‘demon night’. His body transforms into his full size and his real consciousness takes hold. The little boy never remembers these nights, probably for the best…” Jaehwan shuddered a bit as he remembered the pure torture Sungjae’s body went through as he watched him change. “It was my job tonight to make sure he didn’t do anything… mischievous. Especially with girls.” He blushed a little as he said his last words. Minna was still sitting quietly. Then she reached out for him, touching his shoulder.  
“So that really was Sungjae? I think I can understand your situation now, and I’m sorry that I reacted poorly to it… It just hurt me, Jaehwan…” He heard her sniffle once, and he inched a bit closer, wanting her hand to stay on his shoulder.   
“I know, and I’m sorry that it looked that way,” Jaehwan tilted his head so his cheek brushed her hand. She stilled, but again, she didn’t pull away.  
Minna’s heart was beginning to ache. Questions were bubbling up inside of her and she was trying her best to not let them all erupt at once. “Jaehwan,” she started quietly, “I need to know why you left…” Her eyes brimmed with tears, but she kept them at bay. She needed to keep it in until she had heard him out.  
He sucked in a shaky breath. “I thought I was going to hurt you… or more likely, be the cause of your death…” His voice came out barely louder than a whisper, but it was so quiet in the cave that she was able to hear him clearly. Her breath hitched in her throat.   
“Wa… wait… what do you mean by you’d cause my death?” Jaehwan could feel her hand start to shake. He reached up and lightly laid his hand over hers.   
“I think the easiest way to say it is this; Sungjae isn’t the only one in my family that is, well, different.” Her eyes shot down to stare into his, seeming to search for more answers. “I swear, I didn’t know any of this before I left you. I thought I was cursed. My fathers told me otherwise.” He continued to speak as he started stroking the back of her hand with his fingers. Gods, he hoped she would understand all of this. “Minna, I’m sorry this is so hard for me to explain correctly… I just want you to know that if I’d known all of this beforehand, I never would have left you…” He watched as tears began to stream down her cheeks. “Minna, please, can I…” he extended his other hand out to cup her face. She leaned into his touch and let out a tiny sob.   
“I prayed that there was something to explain all of this,” her voice shook, “I know you’re not lying to me, but I just…” She brought her other hand to cover her eyes. Jaehwan couldn’t handle this anymore. He moved his body right up beside her and let his arms circle around her small frame. Minna didn’t resist him. She laid her forehead on his shoulder and continued to silently cry.   
“Minna,” he said softly, “there are still things I need to say to you.” He rubbed his hand gently down her back, trying to ease her sobs. She shook her head a bit and lifted her head to meet his eyes.  
“It’s ok, Jaehwan… I just need to know.” She braced herself for whatever he was about to say.   
“I am a tengu…” He paused for a moment to let it sink in. When she held steady, he gently rubbed her back again, then resumed talking. “Apparently my fathers are very tender hearted when it comes to sickly or dying children. They took me in when I was affected by the plague when I was younger. I was covered in fern-like markings, and other scars as well. I could see spirits. They said that was how they knew I was close to death. My Appa cured me. With his blood.” Now she started to shake. He desperately wanted to comfort her and hold her. Jaehwan knew it was a lot to take in. He’d felt the same way. He quietly hushed her, hoping to get her breathing calm again before continuing. “My Appa is the water god. His blood has certain healing powers. From the time I was small up until I left, he would put a few drops of it in all the food he cooked. It kept me normal. Even they didn’t know what I was.”   
“So what happened, then? How did it- I mean, why did it make you leave me if you were normal? You were just fine when I met you on the beach…” Minna’s voice startled him. She was more collected than he expected her to be, but at the same time, he knew she craved the answers as much as he had.   
Minna thought her heart was going to beat out of her chest. She wiped the remaining tears from her face and straightened to sit up. Jaehwan kept his hands resting at her hips. She appreciated the fact that he wanted to keep her close. It was the first time since he’d left that she felt almost at home. She was with him, and he was her home. Her mind was beginning to settle and she knew that she needed to hear the rest of this out, and then tell him her own secret.  
“Appa told me that since I’d lived on his blood so long, it had suppressed the tengu traits within me. Once I left home, the build up of his blood depleted, causing me to change… He thinks that had I not been so near death as a child, my change would have happened slowly in my teenage years. But because of the blood, I never did. Then the blood was gone from me, and the transformations hit me so suddenly, now neither of us are sure that its effects will completely fade away again.”   
“So you’ll be how you are now, forever?” Minna took a deep calm breath as Jaehwan shook his head yes.  
“We think so. No amount of his blood will be able to make me the way I once was…” She looked at him as he spoke, wishing that the sad look on his face wasn’t there. It’s not like he was suddenly this hideous beast that he thought he was. He was just… different. I can handle all of this… I just need to know…  
“Ok. So let me get this right- you are a tengu, some kind of non-human being. Your father, not the monk, is the Water God… and to keep you alive, he fed you his blood by putting it in the food. Wait- does that mean all of the food he’s fixed has his blood in it?” Her eyes widened as she spoke. A small part inside of her shuddered at the thought of ingesting someone’s blood. It wasn’t a sickening feeling, but it did scare her. Especially since she had no idea what effect it would have on normal humans.  
Jaehwan noticed her frightened look and rubbed her with his thumb to reassure her. “Well, technically, yes. All of the food has his blood in it. But it’s a little more complicated than that,” he sighed and hung his head a bit. Minna stayed silent, waiting for his reply. “I swear Minna, no harm will come from it. His blood gave me life. As far as I know, it also saved my Papa and Sungjae. Appa says that everyone has something that needs to be healed.” He smoothed his fingers over her skin, hoping that she would understand. “I know this is a lot to take in… I’m sorry, Minna. I’m so sorry... “  
“It’s ok, Jaehwan. I do understand,” Minna said, closing her eyes. So that was the reason that she’d felt different since she’d arrived at the temple. The Water God’s blood had healed what was broken in her, and maybe now she could tell him her secret without feeling like her world was going to fall down around her. All of this was still a shaking discovery, but she wasn’t afraid anymore. Knowing that she was healing was a starting point… maybe they could begin anew from all of this. Her heart lifted, and when the weight began to dissipate, she almost smiled.  
Minna studied the flecks of gold in his blue eyes. They were so different from his deep brown ones, but she couldn’t help being in awe of their beauty. She thought over the things he’d been saying, just trying to straighten it all out in her head. “Hang on… is it not only your eyes? You said ‘transformations’... So it’s more than just that?” His face fell a little. She didn’t know why, but she watched him slowly rise from the floor.   
“The marks on my face have almost faded away, but yes, there is more. I can show you, but please, don’t run from me when you see it…” Jaehwan shrugged out of his shirts, letting them fall to floor. The candlelight in the cave illuminated his defined chest. She gasped as her eyes followed the fern marks arching up over his stomach and around his ribs. They climbed his shoulders and some even disappeared into his hair after winding up his neck. She stood and approached him, letting her hand come to rest lightly on his skin. He hissed in a breath as her fingertips traced the lines, starting from his heart and walking around to continue feeling them on his back. It was her turn to breathe suddenly when she caught sight of the scarred skin there. He knew what she was seeing. The fern lines split over his shoulder blades, forming intricate and almost symmetrical lines in the shape of wings. Minna felt the goosebumps rise on his skin as she dipped her hands, still following the lines. She stopped her fingertips at the waistband of his pants. The wings flowed even further down than that, but her eyes were only focusing on his shoulders. “Step back, Minna…” he said quietly. He heard the shuffle of her feet as she did what he asked. Jaehwan breathed deeply and let his wings unfurl.


	13. bound together

Minna’s eyes glistened as she watched the glossy dark wings slowly stretch down to the floor. She knew that if this had been anyone else, she would have been frightened, but this was Jaehwan… and these were the most beautiful things she’d ever seen. She had to touch them. Without thinking to ask, she smoothed her hands over their strong frame. His wings were like warm silk beneath her palm. Her hands began exploring them with more fervor, almost like her body needed to feel them.   
“I know… I’m a monster…” Jaehwan cried, unable to hold it in as her hands roamed over his wings. “If this is too much for you, I understand…” Suddenly, Minna wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in the space between his shoulder blades. He felt her tears on his skin.   
“They’re so beautiful, Jaehwan,” she whispered. “You’re so beautiful.” He hung his head, a sob bubbling out of him. Happiness crept into his heart and relief began to wash over him.   
“Gods, Minna, I’m so sorry.” He wanted to make sure she knew, even though he’d said it so many times already. He stayed still and just enjoyed the feel of her cheek resting on his wing. “When all of this happened, I thought I was cursed. I thought that I was evil, and that if I stayed close to you, I would end up killing you. I couldn’t do that. You mean so much to me, Minna. I know now that I’m not evil, and gods, I wish things had happened differently. But I’ve told you all of my secrets, and I want so desperately for you to love me again…”   
“I never stopped loving you, Jaehwan.” Minna circled slowly back around to face him. She reached up and took his face into her hands. “Every day I searched for you. Even though my heart was breaking, I couldn’t give up... I... Something happened to me, Jaehwan..." Her eyes glistened with tears as she sucked in a breath. Minna wrapped her hands over her abdomen and looked at the floor. "I stayed in our bed for days. Weeks maybe. I don't really remember.. It almost killed me, and until I got here I almost wish it had. I um... The morning you left...I wanted to tell you something important. You may have left me, but there was a part of you that stayed... But then, even that... left me..." A sob cut through her, and she brought her hand to her mouth, then she returned it to clasp over her other one again. She could see Jaehwan scanning her face and body with concern lighting his eyes. His gaze settled on her hands which were still palming her stomach. He flicked his eyes back to her. She could see the gears turning in his head. Knowing that realization was dawning on him, she finally broke down. "I... I lost our... baby..". Minna gripped herself tighter as she sobbed. He knew now. He finally knew.  
The moment those words passed her lips, Jaehwan saw black. His eyes slammed shut and the knowledge that he'd caused something so painful for her floored him. He fell to his knees, pressing his cheek to her hands and stomach. His arms circled her close, holding her to him. Minna didn't try to pull away. Silent tears wet her hands as he cried with her.  
"Gods Minna, I didn't know... I can't... Please Minna... I'm so sorry..." Jaehwan cried into her hands. He trembled as he held her.  
"I know, Jaehwan... It's not your fault," she whispered.  
"No! I've done this to you! I'm a monster! I may not be the evil thing I thought I was, but I'm still responsible for this!" Jaehwan screamed and sobbed against her. She could almost feel his heart breaking. But this moment, now that he knew, would be the step that they needed.  
"You're not a monster," she whispered close to him as she knelt down, "things just... happen. I don't think anything could have changed our circumstances." Minna pulled in a ragged breath. "Look around us, Jaehwan. We are surrounded by people that love and care for us," She took his tear reddened face in her hands and touched her forehead to his. "This is our fate. I finally found you again."  
Tears slipped down her face as she stared into his eyes. But Jaehwan could see her truth. She was right. Here they were, together at last. Even though they'd been through this horrific ordeal, they still ended up in one another's arms. "I love you, Minna..."  
"I know... I love you too, Jaehwan." She pressed her lips gently to his over and over slowly, letting her feelings be conveyed through this tender action. They could do this and move past the hurt.  
He stilled and just held her. Jaehwan's heart fluttered a little. He'd finally gotten his love back. And his life.

The few moments he spent holding her felt like forever. This was all he’d wanted since he left, and now that everything was said, he knew that he only wanted this for the rest of his life. She was his everything. Jaehwan suddenly remembered that his father had given him a box. He pulled Minna to the bathing room and she looked at him with confusion before he knelt down to open the box. His wings were still out and it felt very strange to know that his wingspan was such that he had one wing in the hot water and one in the cold. The sensation caused him goosebumps . The fact that Minna kept touching his wings didn’t help either.  
Jaehwan could tell without even touching it that it was extremely old and had probably been used for ceremonial purposes. The hinges were brass and the wood was almost black. The inside was lined with a soft crimson material, and there was a note on top.

Congratulations, Jaehwan and Minna. You are the winter couple.  
Minna is human. This will put a damper on your long-term plans.  
In order to make your bonding permanent, you must follow these instructions:

Jaehwan looked at Minna and held her left hand with his right.  
“Even though I’m an idiot, I love you more than anything. Do you want to be with me forever?”  
“Yes,” she answered. Jaehwan pulled several objects from the box. There was a thick, blue silk cord, a double-bladed silver dagger, and a goblet.  
“Follow these instructions to the letter and you two will become one,” Jaehwan read out loud.  
“That sounds ominous,” Minna replied.  
“Together, we can do anything,” Jaehwan said, gripping her hand tighter. “OK… hold Minna’s hand.” He looked down at their joined hands with a blush. “Check.”  
He gave one end of the cord to Minna and wrapped it around their wrists and the outsides of their clasped hands, tying them together.  
“Will you go through any pain for each other?” Jaehwan swallowed thickly. “Yes…” Jaehwan sighed.  
“I have and I will again if necessary,” Minna replied. Jaehwan handed her the goblet and took the knife. He looked up at her.  
“I’m sorry,” Jaehwan said, sliding the flat of the knife between their hands. “It says not to let go of my hand for anything, and for you to hold the goblet under our hands.” Minna nodded. “If you want to back out, I understand.”  
“Do it,” she said with a determined look on her face. Jaehwan turned the blade and quickly pulled it. The blood immediately pooled between their hands, dripping into the goblet and down their linked fingers, staining the blue cord.  
“Before we pass out from blood loss,” he took inhaled deeply and took the goblet, “I take you inside of myself to join as one… forever.” He took a large drink from the cup and handed it to Minna.  
“I take you inside of myself to join as one forever.” She drank the rest. Jaehwan pulled Minna to the hot pool and pushed their hands into the water. They could feel the skin on their palms knitting back together. While they were healing their hands in the water, Jaehwan pulled Minna to him and kissed her.  
The moment their lips touched, they both felt it: the bond between them, which had never been tenuous, not even at first, growing stronger and solidifying. Their hands and lips were locked together, but they could also feel it in their hearts and in their souls, and it left them both gasping for air as they sank to their knees next to the hot spring, where their hands were still submerged. Minna felt Jaehwan’s other hand press gently against the small of her back, felt how careful he was being with his kiss, felt all of his love and fear and worry being held back along with his urgent need for her. Though her eyes were closed, she sensed that the dim room grew even dimmer and was worried that she might be fainting - all of the emotion of the day, then the blood loss and the ritual now finally catching up with her. When she opened her eyes in alarm, she saw that the darkness was iridescent and glistening. Jaehwan’s beautiful wings had stretched out and wrapped around her, holding them together even tighter.  
Jaehwan had sensed the tension in Minna and opened his own eyes to look at her, and then at his own wings. Their lips parted and they both stared in wonder at each other.  
Jaehwan laughed lightly. “Wow. I...I didn’t know they could do that. I guess they like you.”  
Minna smiled and turned her head, planting a soft kiss on the feathers closest to her face. “Good. I think they’re beautiful. Unexpected, but beautiful.”  
“You don’t...you’re not afraid? Of them? Of me? Of what I’ve become?”  
She shook her head and squeezed his submerged hand with her own. “No. This isn’t something I could have done out of fear.”  
Heaving a huge sigh, Jaehwan pulled her head to his chest and rested his cheek on her hair. “Good. Because, according to the instructions, we have to stay tied together like this all night.”  
“Well, that ought to make things interesting. But it also means that you can’t run away from me anymore to try to figure things out on your own. Not that I’d let you go. I’ve been through too much already trying to get you back.” Just then, as if on cue, both of their stomachs rumbled loudly. “Hmm. I guess the first thing we’ll have to figure out is how to feed ourselves.”  
Jaehwan grinned down at her, his beloved, before helping her stand and walking with her to the other room, where the mountains of food she’d prepared still sat, steaming. It took a bit of negotiating, but the awkwardness was eased by Jaehwan’s goofiness, and they managed to get themselves seated and drinks poured with only a little trouble and a lot of laughing. As they ate, they chatted - the first real conversation they’d had that wasn’t fraught with tears, apologies, and worry since Jaehwan’s return to the temple.


	14. loving each other

Once she was completely undressed and they been sitting in the hot water together for some time, their conversation began to get lighter, occasionally punctuated with soft kisses. Jaehwan had missed having her in his arms so much, and even more, he’d missed kissing her. From the little noises and movements she was making, it seemed like she did, too. Eventually the conversation had been entirely replaced with sweet kisses, conveying what their words could not.  
Jaehwan pulled Minna into his lap as the kisses grew more hungry. He tilted her head up, gently sucking the drops of water that had collected on her soft skin. She gasped as his tongue drew insistent lines along her jaw and neck. Minna could feel his hardness against her stomach and she rocked her hips to tease him. What she didn't expect, what neither of them expected, was his instincts as a tengu to suddenly appear.  
He wrapped his arm around her and before either of them knew what had happened, Minna had let out a guttural moan. Jaehwan blinked a few times at the noise, realising that they were standing across the room from the bathing pool, he was fully sheathed inside of her heat and his wings were unfurled as wide as he could get them. The long feathers were spread like fingers. They were trembling softly, making a tiny fluttering noise. He had only just noticed that he was baring his teeth at his mate, making a tiny snarling noise.

“Minna… I'm-” she cut him off with a searing kiss.  
He heard her, in his head, not as clearly as if she was speaking to him, but almost as if it was through a long tunnel.

‘move...please… do something-’ the thoughts stopped when he rolled his hips back and slammed them forward again.  
She tightened her grip on his wrist and dragged the nails on her free hand down Jaehwan's back between his wings, making his hips jerk sharply. She repeated the action, making sure to catch slightly on a feather or two. Jaehwan lifted one of her legs, and the other joined to wrap around his hips as she held tightly to the base of one of his wings. He moaned loudly and doubled his efforts.

“...So beautiful like this. Missed it… so much...” He said softly before kissing his way across her cheek and nibbled at her neck. His teeth were a little sharper than normal and that tiny little prick of pain sent her over the edge, moaning and shaking, her muscles tightening deliciously around him. He kept going. Her second and third orgasms crashed upon her so quickly, it was like they all blended into one.

“Nnah! Jaehwan! Hurry! Gonna- ah! Hurry- so close-please…”  
Jaehwan's breath sped up, punctuated by tiny, staccato noises until he felt her muscles tighten once again. He inhaled so loudly that it almost sounded like the shriek of a bird of prey. Jaehwan finally arched and there was a ‘bwoof' noise.  
Minna opened her eyes to see black feathers falling through the air. He pressed his lips to her neck and she watched over his shoulder as his wings disappeared slowly into his back again.  
He gently let her leg go before leaning in for another deep but tender kiss. He backed up and she wobbled on her feet. Instantly Jaehwan scooped her up in one arm and carried her to the hot spring one more. He rinsed the scratches on her back and she sighed as they healed.

“I'm so sorry.” He whimpered, kissing her shoulder.

“Don't be. That was amazing.”

 

Jaehwan hadn’t realized just how much he missed having Minna in his arms, naked or not. They lounged, wrapped up in on another, in the bathing pool, tenderly touching each others faces and smiling. His heart swelled. He sighed heavily and happily, loving every moment that he was with her. In his heart, he could finally understand the pain that each of them went through to get back to one another. It made his soul ache that he’d hurt her so badly, but at the time, he’d thought he was doing the right thing by her. Now he realized that together, they could overcome anything that their life threw at them.


	15. our family is growing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> so  
> there is going to be one more story after this.  
> there were going to be two, but i can't think of what to do for the wind god story... sorry babson  
> i had to take the reigns for this one bc daebaknae was busy (but she added a tiny bit to it)  
> but here, after a stupid long wait is the last chapter of eternity  
> then imma work on secret night

Later the next morning, the new winter couple left the cave hand in hand, smiling. They had eaten the last of the food and untied their hands, but still didn’t want to let go of one another. It was only after they had cleaned the dishes did they notice a bell with a note tied to it that said ‘ring to bring down the barrier.’

“You mean we didn't have to stay in there and complete the bonding ritual?” Minna asked through her teeth.  
Jaehwan looked devastated. “You… don't want to be my mate?”  
“Don't be ridiculous.” She gave a sly smile, kissed Jaehwan on the nose and walked out. He stared as she left, watching her hips sway before chasing after her.  
“Wait! What do you mean by that?” He squawked.

 

“I thought you guys would be gone longer,” Taekwoon stated, mildly confused.  
“Probably should have, but the bottomless pit here ate the last of the food,” Minna teased. She poked at Jaehwan’s ribs and he giggled as he shuffled his feet with embarrassment at her comment. 

“We'll make something for you and bring it over, get back in there,” Hongbin insisted, shooing them both back to the cave entrance with exaggerated hand flourishes.  
“But we finished the bonding ritual didn't we?” Jaehwan held out his hand to show them. The silvery scar streaked across his palm.

“Take advantage of the cave, this might be the last time I let you borrow it,” Taekwoon said with a raised eyebrow and quick glance at his husband. 

“Your Appa and I were in there for almost a week when we had our bonding, weren't we, dearest?” Hongbin cooed with a cheesy grin on his lips.

“Mm.” Taekwoon smiled softly before rubbing noses with his mate.

“Look, um, we're going to be in the cave if you need us... please bring some food by later.” Jaehwan hastily pulled Minna into the cave with him, getting away from the awkward display of affection from his parents.

Hongbin giggled as Taekwoon pressed him against a pillar and kissed him sweetly. 

“You look like love struck teenagers,” Sungjae said from his spot at the kitchen table. 

“Oh… Sungjae. I didn't hear you come in.” Hongbin and Taekwoon pulled apart and smiled at their younger son.

“You two were… busy making kissy faces,” Sungjae said dourly. “You never notice things when you're busy making kissy faces.”

“Like what?” Hongbin asked.

“Like the fact that you're going to be grandparents pretty soon.”

“How can you tell?” Taekwoon asked, raising an eyebrow. Hongbin gasped with surprise and grinned widely. 

“You know how sometimes people come in to have their new babies blessed or to pray that the baby comes safely?”

They nodded.

“Noona smells like that.” Sungjae picked up a piece of fruit from the bowl on the table and munched into it happily. 

“You're...certain?” Taekwoon asked.

“It's just what I smelled,” Sungjae shrugged as he took another bite. 

“Won't that be fun?” Hongbin asked, picking up Sungjae and spinning him around. “A nephew you can be friends with! You can show him what to do and be best friends!” He paused his spinning when he saw the less than enthusiastic expression on the child's face. “You don't look so happy about it.”

“Four years, papa. That’s quite a big gap.”

“Not that big,” Taekwoon said. 

“Appa, you're so old that four years is nothing. For me it's my whole life.” He struggled a bit and Hongbin put him down.

“Ok, I think it's nap time for you,” Hongbin said, patting the boy on the back.

 

The newly mated couple finally came out of the cave a few days later and the first thing Hongbin and Taekwoon did was hug the new couple… not so discretely sniffing their new daughter in law. Sungjae was right. That slight milky sweet smell was wafting off of Minna. 

“You can let go of my mate anytime now,” Jaehwan growled at Hongbin.

“Okay, we'll go make dinner, you two go change clothes,” Hongbin said happily.

If Jaehwan noticed anything about the fact that Taekwoon had started cooking different food, he didn't say anything. It still tasted good, and that was all that mattered. 

 

Two months went by quickly. Jaehwan and Minna fell back into a comfortable rhythm much like the one they used to have before everything happened.  
Minna was brimming with happiness as she stood at the dinner table one night. 

“Um I have something to tell you all,” She said nervously. “There's going to be an addition to the family… I don't know exactly how far along I am, but I should be having the baby in the fall.” She smiled proudly at Jaehwan.

Jaehwan stared at her, frozen, trying to process the sudden information. Sungjae looked unimpressed. Taekwoon smirked slightly while looking at everyone at the table and Hongbin feigned the most unconvincing surprised reaction she had ever seen.

“...oh! What a surprise! I wasn't expecting any news as good as this, were you, Woonie?”

“Of course not, dear,” He snickered.

“How long have you guys known?” She frowned at them, pondering how they could have figured it out. She hadn’t been sick in the mornings or put on any baby weight yet. 

“I knew since they pushed you back into the cave,” Sungjae said nonchalantly.

“Pregnant?” Jaehwan finally screeched.

“Yes,” She smiled.

“Our baby?” He was still wide eyed and dumbfounded.

“Yes,” She drawled.

“We're gonna have…” Jaehwan fainted.

His head just barely missed the soup bowl on the table, but he landed face down in the rice. The whole table fell silent as they looked at him. 

“He'll be fine,” Taekwoon said, spooning some soup into his mouth.

  


**Six months later**

Hongbin sat up, startled. There was a ripple in the barrier around the temple. He was still and listened for a moment, but there were no other sounds. Deciding it was nothing, he curled around Taekwoon and fell back asleep.  
The next morning, Hongbin went to wake Sungjae up for morning meditation. The boy's room was empty. He checked the prayer room they usually mediated in. It was empty as well. Concern crept up in him quickly and he raced back to his room.   
“Woonie, have you seen Sungjae?” He shook the water god awake.  
“No? Is he not in his room?” He asked groggily. His eyes squinted as he tried to wake up fully.  
“Help me find him,” Hongbin raised his voice slightly before running to Jaehwan's room.   
He didn't want to wake them, and not because they looked so peaceful and happy in their sleep. Jaehwan had been getting… testy... as of late. The closer to the due date Minna got, the more protective Jaehwan was becoming. But right now, he’d have to deal with Jaehwan’s hostility because Sungjae was _missing._  
“Have you seen your brother?” Hongbin burst in, his eyes scanning the room for the couple. Instantly regretting his decision, he immediately covered his eyes. “Sorry!” He screeched, catching them in a very compromising position.  
Jaehwan quickly pulled a blanket over them gathering Minna close to him to cover them both.  
“What's wrong?” Jaehwan asked, out of breath.   
Hongbin had his back to them and his ears had turned a violent shade of red.  
“I can't find Sungjae anywhere,” He said, stuttering his words a bit at the awkwardness of the situation.  
“Should we go look outside of town?” Minna asked, concerned.  
“I don't want either of you to leave the village. Minna, you wait here in case he comes back. Jaehwan, go look around town. Taekwoon and I will split up and look for him.”  
“Yes, papa.” Jaehwan nodded reluctantly.   
“You shouldn't sound so unhappy. You'll go missing too, love.” Minna said with a giggle. “You have no sense of direction.”  


**\---**

Two weeks later, Jaehwan's head perked up while he was tending the garden.   
“Jaehwan… they're on their way back with Sungjae.” Sanghyuk’s voice trickled through the wind.  
"Thanks.” He wasn't sure if his uncle got the reply, but he hoped he did. Finally, he could breathe a little sigh of relief. He’d felt hopeless, unable to really help his parents find Sungjae.   
Hongbin's journey back took a little over a week.   
“What's going on?” Jaehwan asked anxiously as Hongbin approached.  
“Woonie found him, thankfully. Apparently he got it in his head to visit the Phoenix temple to the south. I need a bath,” He grumbled as he stomped off. He was noticeably agitated the rest of the week despite the fact that he knew his son was fine.  
Another week passed and Taekwoon finally arrived with a small entourage.   
He carried a tiny, delicate bundle in his arms. Sungjae dragged behind a little. He had a wineskin over his shoulder and was trying to coax a stubborn nanny goat to follow him.   
Hongbin stormed out of the house, his anger and worry renewed as soon as he saw Sungjae.   
“What's all this?” He asked loudly, gesturing with his arms. “Where have you been young man? Why did you run off without telling us?” His breathing was heavy, but concern was written all over his face.  
“Taehyung… Baekhyun needed me to save Taehyung,” The little boy replied sadly, hanging his head.  
“What? Who? What are you even babbling about?” Hongbin nearly growled. His eyes flashed a bright green.  
“Looks like we've got a new addition to the family.” Taekwoon showed the tiny baby in his arms to his mate, cooing gently at it.  
“Where did you pick this one up?” Hongbin asked still frowning, but eyeing the small baby tenderly.  
“Father, he's hungry again,” Sungjae said, holding out his arms. Taekwoon handed the small bundle to his son. The baby had started to make a tiny whimpering noise. It was the first time the little one had really made any noise at all.  
“Sit down before you try to feed him.”  
“Yes, father.”   
Taekwoon took the lead that held the goat as Sungjae found a place to sit and put the wineskin to the baby's lips.   
“I don't understand…” Hongbin looked at his young son and back to his mate.   
“Taehyung, is our grandson,” Taekwoon clarified with a sigh.  
“Where is his mother?”  
“There was no mother,” Sungjae sniffled. “My mate is gone. He told me to save Taehyung, so I did.” The baby sensed his distress and started crying as well. He patted the baby on his back and the crying was replaced by a large belch.   
“Is Sungjae back?” Jaehwan came out of his room with Minna and they waddled across the porch to where he was sitting.  
“Noona, come sit with me, you'll need the practice too,” Sungjae said with a grin before handing his son to her. He was happy to see Minna glowing, and now that he was a father, he had a new appreciation for babies.   
Jaehwan was torn between asking what the hell just happened and smiling softly as his mate held the tiny creature. It took some manoeuvring, but she held Taehyung, perching him on top of her rounded tummy.  
“He's grown,” Sungjae said as he smiled and patted her stomach gently. She would have said something, but the baby she was holding had gone stock still. His eyes were open wide and his little toothless mouth was forming a cute ‘O’ shape.  
“What have you been feeding him?” Minna asked, watching how the baby reacted to her.  
“Goat's milk.” He showed her the wineskin and she could hear the sloshing inside as he shook it a bit. Without even saying anything, she pulled her shirt open with one hand and pulled the baby closer. Instinct took over and Taehyung's eyes fell shut as he latched onto her nipple and ate.  
Sungjae screeched as he covered his eyes with his tiny hands, Taekwoon turned his back and Hongbin scratched his chin with an impressed grin. She was already an amazing mother.   
“Won't that take food away from our baby?” Jaehwan shrieked.  
“Don't be an idiot,” Hongbin smacked his son’s head. “It's not exactly a finite milk supply. Good thinking, Minna.” He turned his face to her and smiled.   
Taehyung pulled away from Minna’s breast with a tiny hiccup and Hongbin grabbed him, throwing a rag over his shoulder.  
“I haven't held him until just now,” Hongbin cooed as he patted the tiny baby's back. He paced back and forth, kissing the side of Taehyung's head, smiling as the child lost the battle with sleep.  
“May as well be nap time for you, too,” Hongbin said to the four year old who went to his room without a fight.  
Three weeks later, Minna got up to feed Taehyung. She was happy with the new routine and loved getting the chance to mother a little baby before her own came along. There was a twinge in her back that was so sudden and painful that she nearly dropped the child. She quickly burped him and put him down before lowering into a weird squatting position. Her breathing quickened, but she tried to stay calm.  
“JAEHWAAAAAAN!” She shouted loud enough to be heard throughout the temple, the scream echoing off the walls.   
“What is it, my- oh gods is it happening? It's happening!” Jaehwan half screamed as he came rushing into the room. He tried to pick her up but she snarled at him.  
“Papa!” Jaehwan shouted even louder than Minna. “It's happening!” He reached a tentative hand out to rub her lower back and she sighed softly as if he was relieving her pain. He wasn’t, but it was comforting to her that he was right beside her.   
Hongbin ran in and before Minna could even snap at him, he picked her up gently and carried her to the bath house, Jaehwan clinging to her hand the whole way there.   
“Are you sure it's time? Her water hasn't broken yet.” Hongbin did a quick visual check over her and made sure she was comfortable. Her water had indeed not broken yet, but she was having contractions pretty regularly. It was odd that things were progressing so quickly.   
“I'm not arguing with her,” Jaehwan said as he took towels off of the shelves of the bath house and started arranging them in the corner.  
“What are you doing? Help me undress her, the clothes are just going to get in the way.” Hongbin started to reach toward her to help her, but she glared at him.   
“I can undress myself,” She growled, and then winced when a contraction hit.  
“Well, you weren't exactly being helpful or responsive.” Hongbin rolled his eyes, but backed away.  
“What are you doing, love?” Minna asked, turning her attention to the corner where Jaehwan continued rearranging the towels.  
“No idea. But I need to do it.”   
Hongbin helped Minna into the water. She seemed to relax a bit once she was in the warm, healing water. Hongbin stepped in next to her, careful not to slosh around. He turned to her and smiled gently.   
“So, I'm going to have to check how far along you are.” She nodded nervously, adjusting her position so he could reach down. This time it was Jaehwan's turn to snarl. He hopped into the bath alongside Hongbin and stared angrily at him. Hongbin rolled his eyes again and grabbed his son's wrist, directing his hand downward into the water between her legs.  
“You check, then.” He ordered. “There are too many people in this bath,” He sighed, annoyed. He let go of Jaehwan’s hand as he stepped back out of the bath, dripping wet from the thighs down.   
“Tell me what to feel for.” Jaehwan slowly moved his hand between her legs. He glanced at Minna, terrified but determined to help his wife through this.  
“Anything… different?” Hongbin shrugged as he spoke. He was pretty sure this is how it was supposed to go, but he’d never done this before either, so both of them were flying blind.   
Minna yowled in pain as soon as Jaehwan’s hand touched her. Her eyes squeezed shut and her teeth ground together.   
“I'M SORRY! I'm sorry, love!” Jaehwan winced and Hongbin knelt next to her, holding her hand. He started breathing deeply and looking at her, getting her to mimic him.   
Minna shouted all at once. It was deep and guttural. She pushed hard and let her head fall back onto Hongbin’s shoulder with a huge sigh of relief. Jaehwan was suddenly hit in the stomach with something in the water. He realised that he had caught a giant egg. He brought it up slowly out of the water and looked at it in awe. Then, instinct took over. He spread his wings, jumping out of the bath and running the short distance to his pile of towels. He curled around the baby sized egg and his wings added insulation from the cool air of the bath house, encasing him and the egg.   
Hongbin tried to get near him, but Jaehwan had transformed. His teeth were sharp, his expression was feral, and his claws were out, ready to strike. His face had dark blue stripes flowing over his cheeks and forehead. Hongbin wouldn't say he looked monstrous, exactly. Ready for battle seemed more of an apt description.   
“Jaehwannie,” Hongbin said softly, “Let Papa see?” He was met with a hiss and a vicious swipe of his claws.  
“Maybe I can try?” Minna said reassuringly. She shifted herself to the other side of the bath, getting as close to Jaehwan as she could without getting out of the water.   
“Be careful.” Hongbin replied, sticking his now bleeding hand in the healing water with a hiss.  
“Darling… why is the baby so quiet?” Minna asked tenderly.   
“Because he's not here yet,” Jaehwan replied softly, almost reverently.   
“What are you holding, love?” She asked, finally pulling herself out of the water and sitting gently at the edge of the bath. Minna scooted herself slowly closer to Jaehwan until she was right next to him. She tenderly pulled at his wings until he relented and opened them enough for her to see inside.   
“Be careful, he'll get cold,” Jaehwan said, his eyes were glowing gold and he smiled.  
“But he's okay, right?” She asked, lovingly caressing the shell of the egg. Minna smiled at him and withdrew her hand, letting him fold his wings back around the egg.  
“I can feel his heartbeat.” Jaehwan smiled. She had never heard him speak so quietly.   
“I'll watch him. You've worked hard,” He told his mate.   
Minna brimmed with happiness. This was her little family, and it was the best feeling she’d ever felt. She nodded to Jaehwan in thanks, and then spoke to Hongbin, who’d been patiently waiting a few feet away. “Can you get our bedding, please?”   
Hongbin nodded his head and left the bath house, returning a few moments later with their futon and blankets. He’d also brought Minna a change of clothes Knowing she’d be too sore to stand, he managed to assist her as much as he could without infuriating Jaehwan. Not that it mattered much, because Jaehwan was too focused on keeping the egg warm.   
Once she’d changed into dry clothes, they both arranged the futon so that Minna and Jaehwan could sleep near their egg. She settled in comfortably as Hongbin stood to leave.   
“I’ll be right back,” He said softly, smiling at her.  
A few moments later, he returned. Sungjae, Taehyung, and Taekwoon followed. Hongbin looked at Minna sympathetically.   
“I didn’t realize I’d be coming back with company, but they wanted to see the um… baby…” He said as he gestured to the others who were slowly making their way over to Jaehwan. However, once they got close, Jaehwan snarled and swiped at anyone who wasn't his mate.  
“I'm sure we'll be up for visitors after he's hatched,” Minna said, pulling the blanket over Jaehwan's back.   
“I’ll take Sungjae and Taehyung back. Will it be okay if Taekwoon checks you over?” Hongbin put his arm on Sungjae’s shoulder to lead him away. Minna nodded at his request and scooted further away from Jaehwan so that Taekwoon wouldn’t be in swiping range. Leaving the covers on her, Taekwoon reached underneath, quickly checking that the healing waters had done its job. He smiled and nodded once before slowly getting up and returning to Hongbin’s side.   
  
“Everything seems fine,” Taekwoon said as he smiled at her. “Soaking in the bath again would my suggestion if you have any discomfort, but otherwise, you’re just fine. Shout if you need anything. Come along, Sungjae,” Taekwoon said, grabbing his grandson from the boy and leaving the room with Hongbin.  
  
For three days, Jaehwan was wrapped around their egg. He spoke to it as if it was already a child and he encouraged Minna to do so as well. She would bring him food and make sure he was comfortable as he kept their egg warm. Then, late on the third night, Jaehwan woke to a cracking noise.  
“Minna…” He said in an excited whisper. She didn’t stir from her sleep. He leaned in closer to the shell to listen. The cracking noise was definitely coming from the egg. “Minna! He's coming!” Jaehwan shouted in delight despite the fact that she was laying right next to him. She quickly sat up and they both turned to see what was happening.  
The egg started to rock and Jaehwan's claws extended. He gently poked shallow holes in the top of the shell before curling back around and watching for anything new. Minutes dragged by as they both yawned, trying to stay awake. The cracking died down and minutes turned into hours. Their eyes had drifted shut as they waited.  
Taehyung was a fast learner. He knew who supplied him with food and he knew almost instinctively where she was at all times. Nobody realised how fast of a learner he was until Minna woke up again a little later that night with a tiny weight on her chest.   
“How did you get here?” She asked the tiny thing. He babbled at her and then nuzzled her breast until he could get to his food source. Jaehwan woke with a start and was still running hard on instinct, nearly swiping at the intruder before Minna shouted at him, using her body to shield Taehyung.   
“Taehyung isn't a threat, Jaehwan. Snap out of it!” Minna growled at him. The baby kept slapping her arm, so she looked down to see what he needed. “What is it, sweetie?”   
He reached for the egg. They all stopped to watch the egg start to crack. This time, it wasn’t just a few noises. It rocked harder than before. The scratching and cracking got louder.   
Jaehwan gave a final snarl at Taehyung before tamping down his anger and they all watched in awe as a baby that was already larger than Taehyung pushed his way out of the egg. He had a tiny horn on the tip of his nose that helped him finally break out of the shell. He shook his tiny head and it fell off almost immediately. Then the strangest thing happened- Taehyung grabbed his new cousin's hand and pulled him to the food. He babbled as if he was explaining how his mother's food dispensary worked. As if the new baby understood, he did what Taehyung told him to do.   
“Do we have a name?” Jaehwan asked, pulling the last of the egg shells off of the baby.  
“Yugyeom…” Minna whispered happily, cuddling both children to her chest as they ate.   
“Okay…” Jaehwan smiled. These kids, he knew, were going to be a handful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so things might be a bit confusing in the last chapter  
> they'll make more sense once i put up the last story in this series (secret night i think i'm calling it)  
> feel free to ask if you have any questions anyway


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